War For Hueco Mundo
by Hungry Derp
Summary: Sosuke Aizen was not a fool. Despite his bold claims that he knew he would win the war, a fail safe was put in place. And that fail safe may or may not include reviving his previous allies...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Back-up Plan

In the deepest depths of an underground prison in the Soul Society, Sosuke Aizen sat in a chair in Muken. Due to his inability to be killed, he had a twenty thousand year sentence to serve. He was securely bound to the chair with no reasonable means of escape. No matter. He wasn't planning on escaping anyway.

 _It's quite unfortunate that I have been imprisoned here._ Aizen thought. _Ichigo Kurosaki's final attack was quite troublesome, I did not expect that. I did, however, devise a plan in case I was defeated. And because I have no way of stopping this plan, the Soul Society will be demolished. It's too bad, really. I wanted to see the look on Yamamoto's face when he draws in his final breath._ A crooked smile slithered onto his face.

* * *

A significant time before, Harribel rose to her feet. She had went blow for blow with the Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya. He had the elemental advantage over her, however, she still held her own. Then Aizen decided that she wasn't useful anymore and cut her down. Damn him. However, now that he was gone and Baraggan was dead, she could take her rightful place as ruler of Hueco Mundo.

She walked over to her Fraccion, who were defeated by Yamamoto. He had stated that he spared their lives, only because they fought with much honor. They even tried to use their combined ability known as Quimera Parca to summon a beast Appachi refers to as Ayon. However, the Head Captain effortlessly defeated them.

They each scarified their right arm to summon Ayon, which was a mistake. Because they only had one arm each, Yamamoto defeated them a significant deal easier than he would have if they each had both their arms.

Cyan Sung-Sun was the first to rise, although she could only manage to get on her hands and knees. "I'm sorry we failed you... Lady Harribel... We lost."

"It is alright." Harribel told her. "You're all alive. And that's all that matters."

"Thank you, Lady Harribel." Said Franceska Mila Rose, who was still lying in a heap. "You are very kind to us."

"Very kind indeed. If Baraggan found one of us Fraccion alive after a defeat... I'm sure he would kill them." Emilou Appachi agreed. "I'm glad he's dead. He was an asshole."

"Do not speak ill of the dead." Harribel said. "Come. We must return to Hueco Mundo."

"Is everyone else dead?" Appachi asked.

"All the Arrancar here are. I don't know about in Hueco Mundo." She opened a Garaganta and took them to Las Noches, a massive castle that Aizen had the Arrancar build.

Unbeknownst to them, spirit energy began to gather through-out the Fake Karakura Town that the Soul Society built as a way of trying to stall Aizen.

As the group returned to Hueco Mundo, they were immediately greeted by a small hollow-dog. Yammy's pet. Harribel looked up to see Yammy lying on the ground. His spirit energy flat-lied.

"He died fighting with all of his power." Harribel said. "He died fighting a good fight."

Mila Rose knelt down and lifted the small dog into her arms.

Harribel used her Pesquisa and sensed for other Arrancar. "The most powerful I feel is Grimmjow. Then several lower leveled Arrancar. Damn it. Not much to work with."

"It's alright, Lady Harribel. The smaller the forces, the easier it'll be to take over, right?" Appachi asked.

"I don't want to make a hostile take over." She paused. "I didn't notice it before, but Szayelaporro Granz is still alive, however is spirit energy is quite low. We will find them and make sure everyone is alright."

They found Grimmjow, first. He was heavily wounded, but he would survive. "Do you want us to take you back to Hueco Mundo?" Appachi asked him.

"I can walk fine." He growled.

"What happened to you?"

"I fought Kurosaki. I was just about to finish him off when that damned Nnoitra cut me from behind. Then a Soul Reaper Captain cut him down. Watching him die was enough for me, but I would've preferred to kick his ass myself. After Aizen got defeated, a Soul Reaper told me. I asked him if he planed on killing everyone who survived. His response was that they couldn't, because the amount of dead souls is already unbalanced and any more killing after that might be disastrous."

"Good." Harribel said. "It's good to know that they won't come back to finish us off. You may return to Hueco Mundo. I'm going to try to find Szayelaporro."

Grimmjow nodded. Despite not liking to be given orders, he didn't mind when Harribel did it. There was something about her that didn't piss him off when someone else would have. He'd have to figure it out later, it didn't really matter.

* * *

Harribel eventually found Granz, who was standing still, wide eyed, as if he was starring at someone.

"Szayelaporro." Harribel said. He didn't respond. "Szayelaporro." She repeated. "Can you even hear me?"

He didn't respond.

"He's as good as dead, Lady Harribel." Apacchi said. "He probably got beat so bad that he's in shock. We should probably take him back to Hueco Mundo."

In reality, he fought Mayuri Kurotsuchi. The Captain had used a serum to slow everything down for Szayelaporro, preventing him from knowing what's currently happening. In his mind, he was still watching Mayuri walk away from him. The serum might not ever wear off. Being as he was immortal, there was no way he could die.

* * *

Harribel eventually found Nel and her two adoptive brothers.

"Do you know who I am?" She asked the young girl.

"You're... the Tercera Espada! Tier Harribel!" Nel said. "I am Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. I am the former Tercera."

"Hmm. Your mask matches the description, as does your hair and eye color. But Nelliel was not a child when she was killed."

"I don't know why... but I can transform back into my adult form. I did it earlier to protect Ichigo. I don't know how long it will be before I can do it again."

"Can you try to transform back into your adult form?" The Espada asked.

Nel concentrated for a long while. The Fracciones began to doubt it was her. Then she transformed into her adult form. She almost immediately transformed back.

"Why did you protect the human?"

"Uh... well... he was really nice to me. At first, I didn't know he was a Soul Reaper. Then it was already too late to leave. Dordoni tried to attack me but he risked his life to save me. Wouldn't you do the same thing? He protected me, so I protected him. Isn't that what friends do?"

Harribel was momentarily silenced.

"Are you really going to believe her?" Asked Sung-Sun. "She is but a child Arrancar. It could simply be an illusion of some kind. I don't think this is the former Espada Nelliel."

"She is." Pesche said.

"Yeah." Dondochaka agreed. "We were her Fracciones."

"Pesche and Dondochakka." Harribel realized. "This can't be coincidence. They must be telling the truth. Come with us to Las Noches."

* * *

As the crew walked into the giant castle, a pair of young female Arrancar meet them at the door.

"Loly and Menoly." Appachi said. "It's a surprise to see you two idiots alive after what you did to that human girl. Grimmjow should have ripped you to shreds."

"That human girl is the one who saved us." Loly said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I was surprised too. She healed us... even after we attacked her. What a weird chick."

* * *

Back in Hueco Mundo, the Arrancar all sat at the Espada table. "So far, there are only two current Espada able to work." Harribel said. "One former Espada, and five Fracciones. Eight of us. This doesn't fair well for us, if the Soul Society decides to declare war."

"No, they won't." Grimmjow said.

"Can you clarify, Grimmjow?" Harribel asked.

"The Soul Reapers are too honorable. They won't go back on their word, unless provoked. We should be fine."

"We'll need a leader." Apacchi suggested. "I vote for Harribel."

"I don't care." Grimmjow said. "It makes little difference to me who rules."

"Don't you want to be King of Hueco Mundo?" Mila Rose asked him.

He thought for a moment. "I want to earn it. I don't want to be given it like this." He looked over to Harribel. "That means one day I will surpass you."

She nodded. "Go ahead and try. I can't lead forever, you know." _He's more noble than I expected._ She thought. _I didn't expect him to so easily concede to my rule._ She cleared her throat. "As a former Espada, you and your Fraccion should have a say as well, Nelliel. Who do you think would the best leader?"

She thought for a moment. "Pesche!"

Everyone sat in silence for a minute.

"Yeah, Nel's right. I'd make a great leader!" Pesche declared. "You can call me Lord Pesche!"

"No." Grimmjow said. "If you end up leading this place while I'm here... I'll kill you."

"Then are you opposed to Pesche's leading?" Harribel asked Grimmjow.

"Yeah."

"Is anyone opposed to me leading?" She asked.

No one said anything.

"Pesche, if you indeed want to lead we can hold a vote." Harribel told him.

"No... I would just lose that anyway. I'll graciously give you the ability to lead Las Noches." _I also don't want to get killed by Grimmjow..._ He thought. _He's really scary._

"Then I am the Queen of Hueco Mundo?" She asked.

"You are." Mila Rose said. "What will our duties be?"

"Your standard duties. I will occasionally give you three extra jobs to do, due to the fact that we're so short handed." She turned to Pesche and Dondochakka. "Can you two repair any parts of Las Noches that were destroyed in the battle?"

"Yeah!" Pesche said.

"I dunno... we did a lot of damage to Mister Granz' chamber. That will be a lot of work. I don't know if we will be able to do that."

"Do what you're told!" Appachi yelled. "If Lady Harribel tell you to do something you do it!"

"I didn't tell them to do anything. I was merely asking if they were willing." Harribel pointed out.

Suddenly, everyone felt a powerful spirit energy coming closer to them. Everyone drew their Zanpakuto, aside from Nel, and prepared for an attack.

"Yo!" Called a feminine voice.

Coyote Starrk walked through the door, with Lilynette standing next to him. She was the one who shouted to them before they walked through the door.

"What the hell...?" Harribel asked. "How the hell are you two here? You died. I watched you die." Despite that fact, she knew Starrk was standing there, starring back at her.

* * *

Notes: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of War for Hueco Mundo. This is a co-story with my new acquaintance Fire Lord 626. I hope you guys check him out and give him lots of love. Feel free to leave a review down below, even negative feedback helps, and if you enjoyed it please follow and favorite. Peace.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: They Didn't Wait Three Days

Coyote Starrk was battling Shunsui Kyoraku. The two traded slashes and Starrk pushed him back. When the Espada got a better cool at him, he realized that Shunsui wasn't in his normal form. He was transforming into the grim reaper. Starrk went to jump back but the reaper slashed him across the chest, causing blood to spray everywhere.

Starrk hit the ground, where there were countless corpses all around him. Lilynette. Baraggan. Harribel. The Segunda and Tercera's Numeros. And Soul Reapers.

"You... let us die, Starrk." Baraggan said. "If you were stronger, you could have saved us."

He opened his mouth to talk, but it felt like sand was pouring down his throat. Baraggan stood up, gripping his axe. "You shall pay for what you've done, Starrk. It makes no difference to me if you are the Primera." He held his weapon way above his head and slashed down at his superior.

He woke from his dream not long after.

The same day Harribel left Karakura Town, Starrk rose to his feet. He looked around, seeing corpses of other Arrancar strewn across the battlefield. He stood and waited for nearly a minute, but nothing happened.

"How am I still alive?" Starrk asked. Then it dawned on him, "maybe I'm not alive. Maybe this is Hell." He looked around. "There is no one else here. Solitude is my Hell. How fitting..." He fell back into a sitting position, looking up at the sky. "I am not alone... I am not alone... I am not alone..." He was telling himself this over and over, trying to convince himself that it wasn't true.

"Not even Lilynette is here..." Starrk mumbled. "I... am going to rot in this shitty town, aren't I?"

* * *

After around ten minutes, Starrk felt the unbearable pain of solitude once again. "Not again..." He mumbled. "Not again..."

Then he heard foot steps hopefully, he spun around. There stood his other half, standing in the sunlight.

"S-Starrk! You're alive!"

"So are you." He said. "But how?"

Lilynette collapsed into Starrk's arms, tears in her eyes. "I... I thought we lost."

He couldn't bare tell her the truth, but he wouldn't lie to her. So he didn't say anything.

She sobbed, "I don't ever want to fight again..."

"We'll go back to Hueco Mundo. Then we'll stand above all the Hollows and none of them will come near us. You'll never have to fight again, I promise."

"What happened here?" She asked, looking around Fake Karakura.

"Baraggan died." Starrk said. "I... fought a Captain. Harribel fought another Captain, I didn't see the end of that fight. A lot of Numeros died. I felt the spirit energy of Harribel's Tres Bestias before I was defeated."

"You lost?" She asked, eyes wide. "Seriously? You lost to that wavy-haired weirdo?"

"He was strong." He remembered when Shunsui Kyoraku shot his Bushogama at him, and Lilynette blocked it. After that, he lost his will to fight. Shunsui defeated him within minutes.

"Just think... it took four Captains to bring you down. And they didn't even kill you!"

"I don't think that's true. Shunsui cut me across the chest. I felt the life leaving my body."

"But you're still here."

"I know that. But..."

Lilynette's eyes widened. "I died too, didn't I?" She realized.

Starrk's gaze dropped. "Yes."

"But that doesn't make any sense. I thought when a hollow died they got resurrected in the Human World."

"I thought that as well." He put his hand on Lilynette's head. "Come. We can't stay here forever, we should head back to Hueco Mundo."

He opened up a Garganta, and the two stepped through. Immediately, Starrk sensed two Espada leveled energies. He and Lilynette approached Las Noches, seeing the damages. Several entire parts of the building were damaged beyond repair. Other parts had minor damages. Other parts were turned into a pile of rubble.

"Damn, that's a lot of destruction." Lilynette commented.

"Yeah." Starrk responded, swallowing. _This is where the strongest Espada lived... for it to be destroyed so easily..._

Lilynette gripped his hand. "It's alright, Starrk." She told him.

He took a deep breath, "Harribel is alive. Along with Grimmjow. We should go in and say hello."

The two walked, and then greeted their comrades.

"Yo!" Lilynette called.

"What the hell...?" Harribel asked. "How the hell are you two here? You died. I watched you die."

"I seems that I just can't stay dead." He sat down at the table, and leaned back in his chair. He hunched over, interlocked his fingers, and rested his head upon his hands. "What are we discussing?"

"This... presents a problem. We want to know how you survived that slash, Starrk." Harribel said.

"Who the hell brought you down, anyway?" Grimmjow asked.

"I didn't survive. I died. You sensed my spirit energy fade, didn't you?"

"Yes, but..."

"Then I died. But I came back to life." He turned back to Grimmjow. "As for the person who killed me... it took two Visoreds and two Captains. Shunsui and Jushiro were the Captains, I think. After battling the Visoreds for a while, Shunsui stabbed me in the back."

"You got killed by one stab?"

"No. We went back for forth for several minutes. Then... he cut me across the chest and I fell."

"How'd he cut your Hierro?"

"He used his ability Irooni. I don't care to explain it."

"Lord Starrk." Pesche said, bowing his head. "We were discussing who should be the leader. We decided on Harribel right before you walked in. However being as you have the most powerful spirit energy-"

"Let it be Harribel." He said. "I have no skill for leading."

"Who exactly are you three?" Lilynette asked.

"This girl used to be an Espada, apparently." Grimmjow explained.

"Which one?"

"Nelliel." Harribel said.

"I remember you." He said. "You and Nnoitra didn't get along, correct?"

"Yes, you're right... But as for you being as you're alive... who else has come back to live?"

"I don't know." His gaze fixed on Harribel. "After your battle with that young Captain, what happened to Aizen? Did he succeed?"

"No. After I battled Hitsugaya, Aizen decided to cut me down. A while later, a human named Orihime Inoue healed my wounds. She told me Aizen failed and has been incarcerated in the Soul Society."

Grimmjow scoffed at the mention of her name. "That's Kurosaki's friend."

Starrk took a deep breath. "So Aizen betrayed us, then?" Starrk said.

"We should storm the Soul Society and kill that douche-Aizen!" Lilynette shouted. "That bastard shouldn't have let Starrk die like that! I bet he didn't stop that Shunsui-idiot because he was scared!" She clenched her fists and growled. "It pisses me off just thinking about him!"

"We can't kill him." Starrk said. "Even with all of the Espada together, his Kyoka Suigetsu is too strong. He'll use it on us and turn us against each other. He wouldn't even have to get his hands dirty."

"But if he's imprisoned, he can't use his Zanpakuto, right?" Appachi asked. "I think it's a good idea."

"If Aizen could die, the Soul Society would have done it." Starrk pointed out. "But they haven't. Which means he can't die."

His last statement left a sour taste in the other Arrancar's mouths.

"If your fight with the Captain continued, Harribel, do you think you would have won?" Starrk asked, changing the subject.

"There is no way to tell. We were mostly evenly matched. But he was starting to get tired. I suppose if our fight lasted much longer he would have collapsed in exhaustion, meaning I'd win by default."

"And you were defeated by?" Starrk asked Grimmjow.

"Kurosaki. A human Soul Reaper."

"Hmm. I saw him once, when I was forced to kidnap Inoue at Aizen's orders. His Bankai speed was no match for my released speed."

"Not everyone can be as strong you, huh?" Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

"Hey." Lilynette said to Nel. "If you're a former Espada... why are you so small?"

"You're small too!"

"Shut up! It doesn't matter how small I am, because I'm Starrk's power!"

"If you're Starrk's power why is your spirit energy so weak?"

"Why is your spirit energy so weak, weakling!"

"Saying weakling makes saying weak repetitive! Dummy!"

"You're a dummy!" Lilynette shouted, standing up.

"No, you are!" Nel got up and stood on the table.

"You know what...?" Lilynette charged up a green Cero.

Pesche nearly stood up, but Starrk stopped him. "Just let it happen. That Cero isn't nearly potent enough to hurt either of them."

The Cero flew at Nel who opened her mouth and took a deep breath. She swallowed the Cero then opened her mouth again and a pink cero formed and shot out at Lilynette. The blast collided with the girl's chest, knocking her on the ground, as well as the chair that was directly behind her.

"Ow..." Lilynette said.

"Are you done?" Starrk asked.

"Yes..." She responded.

He turned to Nel, who got off of the table and sat back down in the chair.

* * *

Back in Fake Karakura, Baraggan floated above the ground. When he had awoken, he saw a Garaganta closing. "I was defeated. After battling a Captain and Lieutenant, the Captain went Bankai and shot me thrice with her missile. Then Aizen cut me down. Then Harribel. I never trusted him. I assumed he would betray us, but not in that fashion." He paused. "But how am I alive again? This must be Aizen's doing, there is no other explanation."

After a while, he decided that no more Arrancar would come back to live and he headed to Hueco Mundo. He neutralized his spirit energy so no one could sense him.

He found the corpse of Yammy. "If I come back to life, so will the others." He shooed away the hollows that were attempting to feed on Yammy's body. He flash stepped away, finding a group of low-leveled Arrancar standing next to his former throne. It had been destroyed when Aizen showed up for the first time.

"Lord Baraggan lives!" One of them said. "We still remained loyal to you, Your Majesty!"

"Good. Help me then." He Sonido'd away, the other Arrancar following suit.

"Find Nnoitra's body. And bring him over to me." Baraggan walked over to Yammy's massive corpse.

After a minute, they brought Nnoitra's corpse over to him. His body was glowing with golden energy from all the slash wounds covering his body.

"Now fetch Ulquiorra's body from the false ceiling."

They flew up into the sky and found Ulquiorra's body after his defeat at the hands of Vasto Lorde Ichigo. His body was completely coated in green spiritual energy, making him barely recognizable.

The Arrancar lifted him up and then flew back down next to the other Espada.

"Search for any other Espada. Then come back."

They found none.

The green energy around Ulquiorra faded, and he rose. He blinked and looked around. "It would seem that I am alive once again." He turned to Baraggan. "Is it that you can reverse time as well, and not just accelerate it?"

"No." He said. "I have no idea how this happened."

Next, Nnoitra woke. His yellow energy faded when he returned to consciousness. "Damn. How the hell am I still alive? After such a devastating defeat at the hands of that scar-faced Soul Reaper... he let me live. Damn him!"

"You died." Baraggan said. "Something is bringing us back to life. Starrk's corpse was gone. I believe the Arrancar with the most powerful spirit energy are coming back to life first. Which means Grimmjow should be next."

"Grimmjow is still alive." Ulquiorra said. "I never felt his spirit energy fade when I fought Ichigo Kurosaki. When he used his transformation, I faded into nothingness. How did you find a body?"

"Perhaps your spirit energy reformed your body after you were defeated. That would explain why you were covered in that spirit energy."

"This is stupid." Nnoitra rose to his feet.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to go to the Soul Society, find the Captain that killed me, and I'm going have him kill me again."

"Do not." Baraggan said. "I need your help."

"Is that right? And if I go anyway?"

"I'll break every bone in your body and drag you back to Hueco Mundo."

Nnoitra grinned. "I know you're strong enough to do that. So go ahead and do it. But make sure you kill me when you do it."

"So. After Grimmjow would be Zommari, Szayelaporro, Aaroniero, and finally Yammy. Where were they when they died, Ulquiorra?"

"Zommari and Aaroniero were in Las Noches. Szayelapporro never died, but he is out of commission."

"What the hell does that mean?" He growled.

"I have no idea what happened to him. But he's been in a state of partial consciousness for quite some time."

"Hmm." He turned his gaze to his Arrancar-lackeys. "Go to Zommari and Aaroniero. The Espada will stay here." He momentarily paused. "Disguise your spirits. I don't want anyone else to know we're alive."

* * *

As the Arrancar left, Baraggan noticed the damages of Las Noches. _When I rule Hueco Mundo once again, I will have the rest of this blemish removed. The Soul Reapers destroying part of it only seeks to aid my cause._

* * *

The Arrancar walked into Las Noches, but not before being stopped by Loly and Menoly. "What are you idiots doing?" Loly asked.

"None of your business."

"We saw you collecting those bodies. What the hell are you planning?" Loly growled.

"Keep your mouth shut, woman." They pushed passed the two.

"HEY!" Loly growled.

Menoly created an unstable cero in her hand. "Touch me again and I'll vaporize you."

"Go right ahead." The one said. "If you want the wrath of Baraggan bestowed upon you. We're here on orders by him." The cero disappeared. The Arrancar started walking again, and eventually found Zommari lying in a heap, and brought him to their master.

Zommari had little bits of pink spirit energy all over his body, where Byakuya had tore him apart with his Senbonzakura.

Zommari slowly rose to his feet, the pink energy fading. "What in the name of..." He looked up to Baraggan. "What happened? The last thing I remember is my defeat at the hands of that Captain."

"Silence." Baraggan ordered.

The Arrancar returned to Las Noches and found Aaroniero's chamber. His glass had reformed, and the heads were floating in the liquid once again.

"Hello, Arrancar." The deeper voice said.

"We need to take you to Lord Baraggan."

"Then Baraggan lives?" Asked the higher pitched voice.

"This is very good indeed." Said the deeper voice.

They all Sonido'd back to Baraggan, who immediately gave Aaroniero an order as soon as he saw him. "Take the form of Kaien Shiba. This form is repulsively annoying to listen to."

"Yes, sir." He said as he transformed.

The massive hulk that was Yammy slowly began to transform back into his smaller, sealed, form. The Diez Espada sat up. "That bastard!" Yammy shouted. "I'm gonna kill that-"

He looked down to Baraggan. "Sorry, Lord Baraggan. I didn't mean to shout in your-"

"Silence." He ordered. Yammy listened. "Ulquiorra. Nnoitra. Zommari. Aaroniero. And myself. We are going to take over Las Noches."

"Is this what Lord Aizen ordered?" Zommari asked.

"Yes." He lied, his gaze wavered for a quarter of a second. The only one who noticed as Ulquiorra. "We are going to over throw the current Espada trying to lead Hueco Mundo, they will come back to life, but with their spirits crushed and tails between their legs. Then they will help us defeat the Soul Society and we will get Lord Aizen back."

"If I recall correctly, you never liked Lord Aizen." Ulquiorra said.

"That is correct. However, coming back to life has changed my mind about him." _These fools don't know that Aizen betrayed us. I can use that to my advantage. After we conquer Las Noches, we won't try to free Aizen. I will rule Hueco Mundo once again!_

* * *

Blinking, a formerly blind Soul Reaper rose to his feet. He felt at his throat were Shuhei stabbed him, but there wasn't even a hint of a wound.

* * *

In Real Karakura Town, Rangiku Matsumoto stood above the corpse of Ichimaru. "I'm sorry, Gin. But I am not allowed to bury you. The Soul Society will collect your body soon. I don't know what they'll do to you, and I don't want to know." She paused as tears streaked her cheeks. "I want... I want... I want you to know that I'll always love you, Gin." She set down a bouquet of dark colored flowers next to his resting place. She turned and walked away, allowing more tears to flood her eyes.

Moments later, a pair of sky-blue eyes opened. Followed by a signature menacing smile spreading across his face.

* * *

Notes: If anyone's interested, I suggest you check out my Coyote Starrk- A Soul Reaper story. It's pretty good, on going, but it's approaching it's end.

I may not post a chapter next week, because that's the week of my birthday so I might be busy celebrating and stuff.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Coming Back to Life

A massive Arrancar reformed in Karakura Town. Not wanted to die again, he opened up a Garganta and went through the opening in space.

The Grand Fisher walked through Hueco Mundo. Almost immediately, Ulquiorra Sonido'd over. "Master Baraggan would like to speak with you."

The two Sonido'd to Baraggan, who now sat in a new throne of bones. "Hello, Grand Fisher. You are one of great power. However, you are not quite Espada level. It is a surprise that whoever revived us bothered to bring you back to life." Baraggan's new base was aloft the fake ceiling, the same area where Vasto Lorde Ichigo fought Ulquiorra.

"Is that right, Louisenbairn? Do you seriously believe you're that much stronger than I? Bullshit!"

Barggan released a bit of his spirit energy, which immediately made the lower leveled hollows and Arrancar in the area drop to their knees. The Grand Fisher fell as well.

"Do not misunderstand. You are strong. Just not as strong as the Espada. Do not forget that, Grand Fisher."

* * *

A young boy walked through Hueco Mundo. He walked through the dessert, and walked to Las Noches. He found his way to Harribel's meeting, and sat down near the door.

"Who is this?" Nel asked. "He's strong..."

"This is Wonderweiss. He's at the level of an Espada. He cannot speak. However, Captain Tosen said that he is drawn to pure beings. I think he thinks Harribel, Nel, and Lilynette are pure hearted." Starrk stated.

* * *

"So, what's the plan, Baraggan?" Nnoitra asked. He did not forget to use the honorifics.

"We will battle the other group. But. First we need to figure out who all is there. And how much more power we need to defeat them." He turned to Ulquiorra. "You're the most likely to join up with them. Which means you should go speak with them."

"Yes, sir." He Sonido'd to Las Noches and came across Tesla, Nnoitra's Fraccion. He had survived a short battle with Kenpachi. Not many opponents can say that. "Nnoitra is with Master Baraggan, on top of the fake ceiling. You are welcome to greet him, if you wish."

"He is... alive?"

"He will explain there, I assume." He walked passed the Fraccion, and into the room where the Arrancar were talking. "Hello Master Starrk. Master Harribel."

"So you have been resurrected as well?" Starrk asked.

"Yes."

"Then we can assume at least the other Espada will come back to life." Harribel said. "Do you have any theories on who brought us back to life?"

"It must have been Lord Aizen. There is no other explanation."

"I was afraid of that." She looked him in the eyes. "Are you aware of Aizen's betrayal?"

"Betrayal?" Ulquiorra asked. This was news to him.

"That's right. You were killed in Hueco Mundo." She explained what Aizen had done to them.

"Well." Ulquiorra said. "Master Baraggan has devised a plan to reclaim his throne. He wishes to rule Hueco Mundo in the name of Lord Aizen."

"That doesn't sound like Baraggan in the slightest." Harribel said. "I believe that he's just using Aizen's name to recruit Arrancar that were loyal to Aizen."

"That slimy..." Apacchi mumbled. "Wait a minute... if you know about him... why are you here?"

"He sent me to spy on you. However, now that I am aware of Aizen's betrayal, I am inclined to be on your side."

"You're going to believe us just like that?" Pesche asked.

"You have no reason to lie to me. I'm under the impression that you had no idea of Lord Baraggan's plans, which would make lying to me pointless."

"That is an excellent point." Pesche said.

"Which means you could go back to Baraggan and feed him bad information." Said Mila Rose. "Then you could come back here and give us information about him."

"No." Starrk said. "I despise such a tactic, and I refuse to be involved with anyone who uses it. We will do this the right way. Ulquiorra, you can either stay here with us and they can assume you left them, or you can go there and formally tell him that you are disassociating with him."

"Are you seriously giving him an ultimatum?" Apacchi asked. "That's so stupid! He's our ally now, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"It wasn't an ultimatum. I was suggesting different ways for him to go about it." Starrk said.

"Yeah, you idiot!" Lilynette yelled. "Know what you're talking about before insulting Starrk!"

She opened her mouth for a retort, but Harribel silenced her with a glance.

Lilynette was about to prod her some more, however, Starrk shook his head and she returned to silence.

"I think they will attack you if you go back there to tell them you're leaving." Mila Rose said. "My suggestion would be to stay here."

"I believe staying will be the best course of action." Ulquiorra agreed. "What will we do?" He asked, looking to Harribel.

"About Baraggan? We can't do anything yet. When he attacks us, we will take him out."

"Why not?" Apacchi asked. "We can just have Starrk defeat him with his Los Lobos! He's strong and fast enough to take him out at a range."

"Even if I was, it wouldn't be the best plan. Being as I'm associated with Harribel at this point, the other Arrancar would think their new leader is unfair if she just took out anyone that seemed threatening to her. However, if they attack us first, it'd be self defense and would be justified."

"I say we just kill them." Grimmjow said. "Those weaklings don't stand a chance! We can't just sit here and do nothing while they plan to kill us!"

"We can and we will." Harribel responded. "This is a coup d'etat, they're trying to over throw me. But we'll look back if we take them out without sufficient evidence."

"Who the hell cares what other people think of us?"

"A leader has to care what her subordinates think."

"Well I think we should kill them."

"And I already explained why that was a bad idea."

"If you want sufficient evidence, talk to Ulquiorra. He was with them, remember?"

"We could have just as easily lied and said he was when he in fact wasn't. It is much harder to say they didn't attack us when they did."

Grimmjow sighed, thoroughly defeated. "Whatever."

Silence filled the room. None of them said anything. Starrk had closed his eyes and was seemingly asleep.

"What's our next move?" Pesche asked, breaking the silence.

"We need all the Arrancar and intelligent hollows to agree with my rule and work with us." She said. "I will personally go and talk to any Arrancar in Las Noches. Starrk," his eyes opened. "Can you search the desert for other Arrancar?"

"Yes."

* * *

Harribel and the Tres Bestias walked through Las Noches. They came across a Privaron Espada, named Gantenbainne Mosqueda.

"Have you come back to life, or did you survive?"

"Come back to life?"

She quickly explained the situation to him. She made sure to mention Aizen's betrayal.

"Hmm..." He said. "Sure, I'll work with you."

* * *

Coming back to life, Rudbornn Chelute, rose to his feet. "Where... where am I? Am I in heaven? Am I in hell?" He looked around, remembering the last thing that happened. Before he could use his most powerful technique, a Soul Reaper used an ice type Zanpakuto to freeze him. As he was attempting to break free, Yammy crushed his head.*

"That bastard..." Rudbornn mumbled. "I'm going to escape either heaven or hell and then go back to the real Hueco Mundo and then kill him. He won't be able to defeat me if he can't get me by surprise again."

As he was talking to himself, Starrk walked over to him. "I see you've come back to life too, Rudbornn."

"Hello, Lord Starrk." He bowed. "Have you been killed and sent to heaven or hell, as well?"

"No. This is Hueco Mundo. We have been brought back to life, by some unknown force. It is theorized that it was Aizen who brought us back to life. However, he betrayed us." He explained how. "So it doesn't really make much sense for him to bring us back to life, unless he expected us to just work for him again."

"Maybe he thought he would have more control over us." Rudbornn said.

"Perhaps." He explained Baraggan and his team.

"I will stay with you."

"That's fine. Harribel is in Las Noches currently. You can either walk with me, or go back there."

* * *

The two kept walking, then a massive hollow made out of sand rose from the ground. "Master Starrk." Said the hollow.

"Runuganga." Starrk explained what happened, how the Espada were coming back to life, how Aizen betrayed them, and how Baraggan was trying to over throw Harribel.

"I will be loyal to Lady Harribel." Runuganga told him. "I will prevent anyone from attacking Las Noches without your knowledge, sir."

"Make sure you keep yourself out of harm's way. I don't want you fighting any Espada-leveled opponents."

* * *

Mayuri was in his lab, typing at a computer.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, sir!" Said an unseated Soul Reaper in his squad.

"I am in the middle of a very important report. What is it?"

"The body of Gin Ichimaru is gone!"

"WHAT?" He shouted, smashing his fists into the keyboard. "You incompetent- I thought you used that spell on him so his body wouldn't return to Spirit energy?"

"I did. But he's... gone. There is no trace of him, sir."

"Find who ever took his body NOW!" Mayuri stood and smacked the Soul Reaper across the cheek. "If you come back empty handed, you'll be getting much worse than a smack! NOW GO!"

* * *

Rangiku Matsumoto was sitting in her house, dried persimmons on her table. Gin's favorite. She had one in her hand, when she felt a bit of a very particular spirit energy that always reminded people of snakes.

She quickly spun around in her seat, but saw nothing. "Gin?" She called. There was no answer. She shook her head, assuming that it was all in her head. She turned to the bowl, finding nearly half of it missing.

Tears streaked her cheeks. "Gin's... alive..."

* * *

Luppi was walking through Las Noches. "That bastard Grimmjow... how dare he kill me?" As he was walking, he noticed said Espada's spiritual energy. He quickly ran the other way. "I don't want to deal with him again..." He ran out of the castle, and sonido'd a good distance away.

He encountered Kaname Tosen and Gin Ichimaru as he ran.

"Ichimaru... Tosen...? You came back as well?"

"Yes." Gin grinned at him. "How was heaven, for ya? Was it as good as everyone cracked it up to be?"

"We all know that heaven and hell aren't real. When you die you become resurrected into a different life. I have no idea why I am still here."

"You have been brought back to life to Serve Lord Aizen." Kaname said. "Come. Baraggan has formed a team in his name, thus, we will work with him."

* * *

The two Soul Reapers and one Arrancar made it to the hole in the sky where Baraggan was setting up shop with his new companions.

"Hey." Ichimaru called, smiling. "We're here to work for you."

"That is fine." Baraggan said. "The more forces we have, the better."

After doing nothing for a few minutes, Ichimaru stood up and walked toward the hole in the ground.

"Where are you going, Ichimaru?" Asked Nnoitra.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He jumped down and flash stepped away.

"He has neutralized his spiritual energy, I have no way of tracking him." Tosen said.

* * *

Ichimaru flash stepped directly to Harribel. "I know that Aizen has betrayed the Espada." He looked her in the eye, his eyes slightly opening. "Baraggan has Nnoitra, Zommari, Aaroniero, Tosen, and several low leveled Arrancar and hollows. I am pretending to work with him, and I'll give you information on him."

"Give your information directly to Apacchi. And never do so when Starrk is near her."

"Why is that?"

"Starrk mentioned his distaste for such a tactic."

* * *

"So." Grimmjow said, looking down at Nel, who was sitting not far from him. "How was your life as an Espada? I didn't know you before I became an Espada."

"It was... interesting, aside from when I clashed with the, at the time, Octava (8th) Espada quite a bit." She paused. "He fought without purpose. He just wanted to kill. I said that a being who possesed reason should be able to decide why he is fighting, but he refused to understand that."

"Who is he?"

"Right now, he's the current Quinto (5th) Espada. Nniotra Gilga."

"That bastard. He cut me from behind when I was trying to fight Ichigo."

"He cut me from behind as well. He damaged my mask." She gestured to the slash mark on her mask.

"Perhaps there's someone who can fix that?" Suggested Pesche.

* * *

Loly and Menoly were walking through Las Noches. Nel was searching for a bathroom. "Hey, Numeros." Nel said as she walked by him.

"Wait, little one. Are you serious about this war? It... it doesn't make sense! What's the point in going into a war directly after everyone came back to life? It's so... stupid."

At that point, Lilynette walked out, and began to listen.

Nel thought for a moment. "A struggle for power is inevitable when a leader is imprisoned or killed. A democracy is only useful when it's citizens are civilized." She shrugged. "Which means a battle after Aizen lost would have happened no matter what. If no one came back to life though, I don't think there would be much of a fight. It'd only be random hollows trying to fight Harribel." Nel walked away.

"If you aren't with us, you're against us!" Lilynette shouted, clenching her fists. "That means we'll have to take you guys down!"

"Is that right?" Loly asked. "How are you going to do that?"

"I am the Primera Espada! You two are weaklings compared to me!"

"Shut up." Grimmjow said, stepping out. "You idiots are too loud."

"Shes the one who's yelling, you idiot!" Loly yelled. "Yell at her, not all of us."

"You wanna run that by me again? Or have you forgotten what happened the last time you pissed me off?" A crimson cero glowed in his hand. Loly and Menoly immediately fled.

When the caught their breath, Menoly asked her partner a question. "Do you think we should get involved?"

"We're not joining up with Harribel, because I hate Grimmjow." Loly said. "We're not joining up with Baraggan because he might kill us. So we're gonna have to work alone. Come on, Menoly. Aizen must have left something here that we can use."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. A weapon? A paper with their weaknesses on it?" She used her cero to destroy a door and the two walked in. The two walked into the room. It was a small room, with neat paperwork stacked on a table.

"Aizen and his tidiness." Menoly commented.

Loly walked over and sat down in the chair and began to go through the paperwork.

Menoly searched the exterior of the room, and stumbled on her own foot, crashing through the wall. "Ow..."

"Smooth." Loly said, walking over. Menoly stood up, looking around. She was inside a fake room, a large room, with corpses everywhere.

"What the hell...?" She mumbled, walking in. She noticed an Arrancar with short black hair with purple tips, chained to a wall. He had a pair of tattered black pants, showing the Arrancar type bone armor. His skin was riddled with black tattoos, that made jagged and irregular designs. Bottomless ebony eyes watched the two carefully.

"That one's still alive!" Loly shouted.

* * *

Notes: Sorry, Darkmachines. I forgot to put a footnote addressing your review in the last chapter. We already finished the chapter at that point when you put the review, so it would feel over-stuffed to include your suggestions. I have not gotten far enough into your story to know if I could/should use your OC in the story. When I get further along, I will consider using him.

*Yammy crushed him into little pieces. It's safe to assume he died. Despite this, the Wikia doesn't classify him as dead because it was never confirmed. However, he's Espada level (if we take his word for it) so he will be revived as well.

My partner and I are in need of some OC's. If you would like to create an OC, please either PM me or Fire lord 626.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Matthias

Loly and Menoly starred at the chained Arrancar for some time before either of them moved or said anything. Loly broke the silence by walking toward him.

"What are you doing?" Menoly asked.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm breaking him out."

"You can't do that! He'll attack us as soon as he has the chance!"

"He won't attack us."

"And how do you know this?"

"He'll... want to help the person who helped him."

"He's an Arrancar. And a male. Do you seriously believe that he'll view us as anything more than an annoyance?"

"Hey, big guy!" Loly called. He sluggishly looked up, as if to show understanding. "Are you gonna attack us?"

"I... I p-promise I won't att- tack... you." His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in some time. That was the first thing he said sense they arrived. He spoke slowly, as if he wasn't sure what he was saying.

"See?" Loly said.

"He could be lying so we free him."

"Look at him. He's in a daze. Does it look like he's capable of thinking of a lie right now?"

"B... but..."

Loly walked right up to him.

"Loly, no!"

Ignoring her friend, she charged up a bala and hit the part of the chain attached to the wall. He reached up, yanking the collar from his throat. Almost immediately, Loly and Menoly fell to the ground because of some unknown power. The Arrancar felt an interesting felling, as if he was growing more powerful.

The girls didn't seem to be doing so well. The Arrancar realized it was his power, so he swiftly shut it off. "I... had for- for-gotten about ability. An... accident."

"Who the hell forgets about their own power?" Menoly asked. "I told you he'd attack us!"

"Menoly." Loly said. "If he wanted us dead, he could have killed us when we were on the ground." The two rose to their feet. "But he didn't. He could have killed us with that ability, but we're still alive. He could have attacked me before I freed him, he didn't even look up at me."

"Well..."

"It was an accident."

"How would he forget his power?"

"Aizen must've drugged him. He'll be fine in a little while." She snapped through his cuffs with her hands. He clenched his fists, and unclenched them. He took his first step forward, and almost immediately his legs buckled and he fell on his face. He cursed as he pushed himself to his feet.

"What is your name?" Menoly asked.

"M-Matthias... Iscariot." The Arrancar answered. "You?"

"I'm Loly and my overly cautious friend over here is Menoly. Look, because I freed you, you have to help me."

He nodded. "I will help... you." He stretched his back. "What shall... I do?"

"That's what I like to hear!" Loly grinned. _I can really use this guy! He'll do whatever I say!_

 _I don't foresee this turning out very good..._ Menoly thought, unintentionally taking a half step away from the Arrancar.

* * *

" I brush against the freckles that hated, so my life goes on and I heave a little sigh for you... " Nel sang. " It's heavy- the love that I once shared for you, then it dissolved like a sugar cube... "

"Do you even know what that means?" Pesche asked.

"Nope! But I think it sounds good."

Pesche shook his head. "Don't go signing songs that you don't know the meaning of..."

"Leave her alone, Pesche!" Dondochakka said. "She can sing whatever she wants to sing! I don't know the meaning of that song either."

"Yeah, I should've figured you wouldn't..."

The group was getting supplies to repair Las Noches. Ichimaru was supposed to be with them and so was Starrk, however, neither of them showed up. So Nel, Dondochakka, and Pesche went out alone.

* * *

After quite some time, they finally found wood, nails, and glue.

"This seems like enough to me." Pesche said.

"Yeah, me too."

"I agree!" Nel agreed.

* * *

They went to the most damaged part of the castle- Szayelaporro's room. Nearly completely destroyed, it was beyond repair.

"I wonder what happened here?" Nel asked.

"Yeah, I wonder..." Pesche responded. Pesche, Dondochakka, Renji, and Uryu had fought Szayelaporro. The four had been defeated, and the Captain Mayuri stepped forward to help them. Mayuri was the one who left the Arrancar in the crippled state that he was in.

"We're going to seal off the door, as if this place wasn't even really here." Pesche said. "Dondochakka, go on the other side. I'll work on this side."

* * *

After struggling for some time, the group managed to seal off that exist. Dondochakka cried when he realized he had no way of getting back in aside from walking all the way around the building to find the main entrance. Pesche told him that was his only option.

Dondochakka walked away, then he charged directly at the wall. Tears were still flooding his face as he leapt into the wall, bursting through it, and landing on his face. "That hurt!" He cried.

"You big dummy! Now we have to repair that too!"

"Maybe you should be on the outside, then!"

"I'll just Sonido back inside!" Pesche rolled his eyes.

"Oh. Why didn't I think of that?" Dondochakka scratched his chin.

"You're unbelievable!"

"What on Earth is going on here?" Ulquiorra asked, walking over. "I heard yelling, so I came over." He looked over to see Pesche and Dondochakka arguing and Nel playing in the bucket of glue.

"We're repairing Las Noches..." Pesche mumbled.

Ulquiorra looked at the hole that Dondochakka just put in the wall.

"Okay. I think that you need my help, then."

* * *

After fixing everything, the group was exhausted. Aside from Ulquiorra. "I thought Master Starrk and Ichimaru were supposed to help you?"

"They were. Neither of them wanted to, I guess." Pesche said.

"It makes me sad, thinking that we almost had to fix all of Las Noches by ourselves." Dondochakka said.

"You'll be okay, big guy." Nel patted him on the head.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why did you help us, Master Ulquiorra?"

"I don't know. I thought I would feel some sort of emotion helping people like you. However, I felt nothing. It wasn't a surprise, really, I was just hoping that I would."

"What do you mean by people like you?"

"He means special needs." Grimmjow said, rounding the corner. "So I see you idiots got this done, huh? It looks like shit, but I guess it's done and I didn't have to lift a finger."

"What's special needs?" Nel asked Dondochakka.

"Uh... I guess it means people who are special and have needs."

"Oh. Guess we're special needs then!"

Just then, Ichimaru walked over. "Hello." He said. "Las Noches looks... quite good."

"No thanks to you!" Dondochakka's eyes flooded once again. "We did all this work without you! Because you were too good to help us special needs people!"

Ichimaru looked at his wrist, as if he had a watch there, and he gave a mock gasp. "Look at the time! I gotta go help Starrk... uh... wash his back. Later!" He flash stepped away.

"Wash his back...?" Dondochakka wondered. "Is Starrk becoming a sumo wrestler?"

"Where'd you get that idea, bonehead?" Pesche asked.

"Well, professional sumo wrestlers have someone that washes their back, because they're so big that they can't reach. So I'm saying that Starrk is going to become a sumo wrestler!"

Nel imagined a massively robust Starrk, wearing nothing but a loincloth, stomping into a stance. Tiny Lilynette cheered from the crowd. The large Starrk palmed Yammy in the chest, knocking him back several feet.

The former Tercera burst out laughing. "That's great! We need to get Starrk fat and make him wrestle Yammy!"

"Wrestle Yammy? Yammy'd kill him! He's so big!"

"That's why we have to get Starrk fat, duh!"

* * *

Ichimaru was walking down a long hallway, and he encountered Harribel. The two kept walking, and bumped into each other. A large group of papers fell down to the ground. "Whoops. I dropped all of Lord Aizen's papers. Guess I'll have to tell Baraggan I couldn't find any." He shrugged, walking away.

Harribel knelt and lifted the papers.

"Why did you betray Aizen, Ichimaru?"

"Why?" He smirked. "Because it sounded like fun."

"I'm being serious."

His smirk faded. "Two reasons. I wish to protect a certain person. If Aizen were to take over, this person could die. The other is because if I had the power to defeat someone- or thought I did- I shouldn't just sit and watch. I have to help."

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Harribel quoted.

"Edmund Burke?" Ichimaru guessed.

She nodded. "Those two are your only reasons?"

"Is there anything more reason for one to do something? I wish to protect my lived ones and I wish to abide by my own morals."

* * *

Harribel and her Fraccion were standing in front of a small Arrancar, with dark hair and she wore a green turtle neck with vertical dark green stripes on it instead of the standard Arrancar attire. Her hollow mask covered half her face.

"And you are?" Harribel asked.

"Roka Paramia. I am a healer. However, I am unable to do any healing, at the moment."

"Why the hell is that?" Apacchi asked. "A healer who can't heal? That's like a sword that can't cut. Useless."

"Shut up." Mila Rose told her.

"I understand what you mean. But my powers will return shortly. My brain hasn't fully returned yet, but it will soon. Then I will be able to heal anyone."

"If your brain was damaged, why isn't your speech impaired?"

"Speech and language are found in the Broca's area. Which is found in the front left hand side of the brain. However, power is found dead center- right where Yammy hit me."

* * *

The next person, wasn't in Las Noches. He was supposed to be found in a cave.

"Arrancar?" Called Apacchi. "We wish to speak with you!"

"Go away." Responded a tired voice.

"I am the Empress of Hueco Mundo. I simply wish to speak with you."

"I'm aware of what's going on. And I refuse to get involved. A war causes too much unnecessary bloodshed. I can understand you wanting to protect your rank and your people, however, I refuse to join with you."

"Come on!" Apacchi said. "We came all this way for you!"

"I apologize. But I won't join."

Apacchi went to walk into the cave, but Harribel put a hand on her shoulder. "Leave him."

* * *

Next, Harribel stood in Aizen's main office. She noticed the fallen part of the wall. She walked through, and looked around. _The paper says there should be a powerful Arrancar in here. Perhaps he has already escaped. Or maybe he died._ She looked at the broken door. _What could have happened there, if he died?_

* * *

While Harribel was searching for the last Arrancar, the Tres Bestias were training.

"All of us losing an arm is ineffective." Mila Rose said. "We can't be defeated that easily ever again." She was talking about how Yammamoto had defeated them nearly as soon as he drew his sword.

"Well we all need to make a sacrifice for it to work." Sung-Sun pointed out.

"We each have one arm. Two legs. A nose. Two ears. Quite a bit of teeth. Ten fingers, ten toes." Apacchi said.

"I feel like the teeth would be weird to pull out. We can try the fingers." Mila Rose said.

Each of them discarded a finger, and a really small Ayon appeared. He was nearly up to their shin.

"What use are ya, you tiny demon?" Apacchi sighed.

"Spying." Mila Rose pointed out. "He can help us by figuring out where other Arrancar are that can help us."

* * *

Baraggan had his subjects standing before him. "It would seem that no more Arrancar are coming back. Tosen, Telsa. You search the area, trying to find more people to join our party. I'll go find some regular hollows. Perhaps they'll be more cooperative than Arrancar."

* * *

Tosen, along Tesla, walked up to the cave that the Arrancar was in. "I said go away!"

"I have not heard you say that before."

"Then you are new. I haven't seen you before. But leave still."

"No. You must work for Baraggan."

"I will do no such thing."

"He serves Lord Aizen. You must work for him, he is the one who created you. You-"

"I owe Aizen nothing. Find someone else to work with you."

"Aizen gave you meaning. He gave you reason."

Suddenly, a pair of gray eyes appeared in the darkness, then approached them. A sasquatch-esque Arrancar came outside. He had dark brown fur, and easily towered over the two at seven feet tall. The Arrancar's mask resembled a partially destroyed helmet. In his hands, he held a glaive. A polearm like a spear, however, it had a blade on the end like a sword instead of a tip.

"Begone!" He shouted. Emerald energy blossomed around his body.

Tesla was frozen in place, quivering in fear. Tosen gripped his shoulder, and flash stepped them out of the way.

* * *

Baraggan was floating above a massive valley filled with hollows. A lot of them came from a part of Hueco Mundo where the hollows are known to be extremely aggressive. "Hollows!" He shouted. "You will work for me! And you will help us take Las Noches! All of you are weak, so we will attack in great numbers! Those of you who survive will earn a spot serving me!" Baraggan floated back down the ground. "We will attack soon!"

"A spot serving you, sir?" Zommari asked.

"Of course, that was a lie."

* * *

Grimmjow, walking around Las Noches, realized a large group of hollows was forming. _I'll go tell Harribel._ Then he remembered her policy on attacking first. _I'll go without telling her. She didn't tell me not to fight hollows that I thought were going to be in the way._

Grimmjow Sonido'd in to the crowd. He grinned. "Come at me with all you've got, you sons of bitches!"

"Is that Grimmjow?" Asked one of the hollows.

"What's he doing here?" Asked another.

"Killing you idiots!" Grimmjow cracked his knuckles. A large hollow lunged at him. He laughed and leapt at him, punching a hole through the beast's chest. Another several hollows attacked him, but he kicked two of them away, bashed two of their heads together, and threw a Cero at the rest.

Another group of hollows surrounded him. He laughed maniacally. "I'll kill all of you!" He sent one hollow flying through the crowd with a hard punch, then he slashed three of the closest ones across the chest. He quickly sheathed his sword and kicked a hollow into the air.

"That's enough." Said a deep voice. The hollows stopped attacking. "Why are you here, Grimmjow?"

 _Shit, Baraggan's here. I didn't sense his spirit energy._

"If you don't answer..."

Zommari blitzed by Grimmjow, slashing him hard across the back. Grimmjow turned to fight him but Nnoitra landed behind him.

 _Well I'm screwed._ He took a half step backward, bumping into a hollow- so he kicked it in half. Zommari blitzed him, Nnoitra slashed at him. And countless low leveled hollows would occasionally get in the mix.

Grimmjow had blood rushing from his right arm, a cut above his left eye, and a deep gash on his left leg. He could only barely have enough time to block their attacks. But that wouldn't be able to last forever.

"You have lost, Grimmjow. Leave now or die." Baraggan taunted.

* * *

Starrk's eyes opened from his nap. "Grimmjow's in trouble." He Sonido'd to the battlefield, as did Harribel. Starrk released a massive amount of energy, which immediately dropped three quarters of the hollows with his spirit energy alone.

Tosen slashed at Grimmjow's already wounded back. Harribel blocked the attack with her sword. The two traded blows, the Espada forcing the Soul Reaper backward.

"I don't wish to cross blades with you." Tosen said. "That'll ultimately lead to my downfall." He Flash stepped to Baraggan. "Without someone powerful enough to take Starrk out, he'll simply destroy any hollows that come near Las Noches."

"We should cut our loses and retreat." Zommari said. "I may be fast, but Starrk is stronger."

"Retreat?" Baraggan scoffed. "Fine." He raised his hand. "We do not wish to fight you yet, Harribel and Starrk. Your soldier attacked us!"

"Grimmjow." Harribel turned to him. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"It was. Because they were going to destroy Las Noches with their numbers. I... didn't account for Starrk's power."

"We disavow Grimmjow's actions." Harribel said. "We don't wish to battle you, either."

"Then let us call a stand still." Baraggan told her. "Even Starrk won't be able to stand up to my power for long. You will not win this war, Harribel. I will rule Hueco Mundo." He said before disappearing.

Everyone else Sonido'd away.

* * *

Notes: Thanks for the big review Hallow! It's appreciated! Any sort of review helps, and the big ones help a lot.

Addressing everything in order: Ichigo won't be involved much. He's currently without powers. Anything with Wonderweiss is spoilers. Ulquiorra views Harribel's cause as just, and he'd also view it as something to do. He also might just want to spite Baraggan for lying to him.

Tosen wants to follow whichever path he believes is just. Being as he was loyal to Aizen (thinking Aizen's path was good) he'd by default be loyal to Baraggan, who was claiming to be working for Aizen still.

Anything with the Tattooed Arrancar (who is now known as Matthias) is spoilers.

Sorry for not being specific enough on the OCs. That's my fault. I'd like them to be Arrancar, please. Here's a template:

Name: . Appearance: . Personality: . Fighting Style: . Zanpakuto: . Resurreccion: . Color of Spirit energy: . (Estimated) Rank: . Other: . Then when we see it, I'll discuss which side that character would be on with my partner.

Example: Name: Palladin Roche. Appearance: Red hair, blue eyes. Wears a black cloak over his body. Hollow mask is a visor. Personality: Militaristic, calculating, level-headed. Fighting Style: Hand to hand combat (Savate), (with Zanpakuto): Historical European Martial Arts, (Unarmed in, in release) brawling. Zanpakuto: Ginunting. Resurreccion: Turns him into a giant gorilla with a targe and a claymore. Color of spirit energy: Azure. (Estimated) Rank: Bellow Grimmjow, above Zommari (or you could be specific and say (below Sexta, above Septima). Other: Dislikes Starrk for being lazy.

Darkmachines, it's getting kind of annoying when you suggest your OCs every chapter. I haven't gotten far enough into your story to tell if they're fit for this story or not.

As for the other part of your review, I go by the anime (minus the filler, because filler is usually boring) because I don't actually know how to read. Some light novels are more canonical than others. For example, The Spirits Are Forever With You isn't even written by Kubo and I have no idea how involved he was with it. Letters From the Other Side and Honey Dish Rhapsody had Kubo working on them with another author.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Matthias Versus Grimmjow

"I can't believe you!" Harribel shouted. "Why the hell did you think that was a good idea?"

"I didn't know Baraggan was there. I couldn't sense his spirit energy. All I could sense was a massive amount of hollows coming together and I knew it wouldn't be good."

"You're a fool, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. I'll have no choice but to punish you."

"Oh yeah? What'll it be? Forty lashings? You gonna slice my throat?"

"No. You will have to spend the entire day will Nelliel."

"Yeah... I'm not going to do that."

"Do it." Harribel growled.

* * *

Matthias woke up, lying on the floor in a small room. He rose, looking around. He didn't recall coming there. His eyes finally came across Loly, who was sleeping in the bed. _Now I remember. She's the one who freed me._ He thought. He looked down at himself. _I seem to have left my Zanpakuto while I was in my dazed state._

Once Loly woke, Matthias explained his situation. "How the hell do you forget your Zanpakuto?" She rolled her eyes. "Do you know where it is?"

"Yes."

Loly woke Menoly, who was in the next room over, and the three left, Matthias leading the way. He went back to the lab he was in, grabbing his black leather jacket. He found the chest with the Zanpakuto in it, and smashed the lock off. He lifted the lid, dug through the box, and pulled out a Nodachi, resembling a Katana, but a significant deal longer.

"That's one massive Katana." Said Loly.

"It's not a Katana." Matthias said. "This is a Nodachi, a main weapon in the Edo Period, when Katana were mostly used as a side arm. It's also called an Odachi."

"Whatever. It doesn't matter what it's called."

"Let's get out of here. We're pushed our luck staying here for one night." Menoly pointed out. "We should search for a place to stay in Hueco Mundo."

"Why can't we stay here?"

"This is where Harribel's forces are staying." Loly said. "About the war that I explained last night before we went to sleep."

"Right. We should probably leave, then."

The three left for the main exit. Grimmjow just so happened to be passing by at the same time. "Stupid girl." The Sexta (6th) Espada mumbled. "I don't wanna babysit." He locked eyes with Loly and Menoly. Then he looked up at Matthias. "It looks like you two got some muscle."

"Yeah." Loly said. "You can't pick on us anymore."

"Oh yeah?" Grimmjow took a step toward them. Both Numeros took a step behind Matthias. "Looks like you're still terrified."

Matthias stepped in front of them, and tapped his Nodachi.

"Oh, is it a fight you want?" He grinned. "I've been really pissed off lately. Kicking your ass should help relieve some stress." He soared through the air and kicked Matthias in the jaw. As his head whipped back, the large Arrancar stumbled backward.

Grimmjow grabbed him by the throat and threw him into the wall. Matthias groaned in pain, but managed to keep himself on his feet. The Espada charged at the beast with a haymaker. Matthias lifted his hands to block but the blow collided with his stomach.

As his fist hit him, Grimmjow charged up a Cero that sent Matthias flying into a wall. The wall spider-webbed on impact.

"Is that all? Your muscle is pretty weak." He walked toward the fallen Arrancar. Matthias struggled to stand up, using the wall to support himself. Grimmjow growled and kicked him hard in the leg. Matthias fell to the ground and Grimmjow stomped him into the pavement.

"Weak." Grimmjow said. "You're weak. And your over confident."

Matthias rubbed blood from his mouth. He had cuts and scrapes all over his face, and bruises covering his body.

"Oh God... once he's done with Matthias, he's gonna come for us..." Menoly swallowed hard. "We need to get out of here..."

Loly didn't seem to be able to hear her. _Is he going to lose here? Is he really this weak? How can he help us if he can't even defend us against one opponent?_

Grimmjow grinned as Matthias tried to get up. "It would've been boring if you would've died already!" A bala glowed in each of his hands. He shot the one, Matthias barely dodged- and the second caught him in the stomach. By the time he shot them he had two more charged. He continued to build more up as he shot Matthias repeatedly.

After the first shot, Matthias got hit with every single one. His chest had torn open, blood was dripping all over the floor. Matthias opened his mouth and a guttural growl caused Loly and Menoly to jump back.

He rose to his feet. Grimmjow examined him. _I just drilled into his chest with those bala. But the bleeding has stopped._ He thought. Under closer inspection, he realized his wounds were closing up as well.

"If you keep healing, you'll be a pain in the ass to eliminate." Grimmjow said. "You're just a fly. But I'm destroying this place because of you, which means I'll let you life. If we meet again, I'll be sure to cut your head off." He disappeared.

Matthias, defeated, slumped down to the ground. The two girls ran to catch up with him. "I thought... you were strong?" Loly asked. "Were you scared?"

"I was not scared." Matthias said. "I... don't know. Perhaps I'm still under the affect of Aizen's poison."

"We need more people. Someone that can fight someone like Grimmjow while you still aren't one hundred percent." Loly said. "And a place to sleep."

* * *

The three were walking around. "So... did you know your wounds would heal there?" Menoly asked him.

"Nope. That ability is new to me."

"Is there any abilities that you know of?"

"I have a retractable tail. However, I prefer not to use it because it tears through my clothes."

"That's cool."

"Do the two of you have Zanpakuto?" Matthias asked.

"Yes. Loly has a dagger called Escolopendra. I have a Zanpakuto that I haven't learned the name of yet."

"No Ressureccion?"

"No, not yet. I haven't been able to train very much. Aizen kept us busy for a while. I barely had time to eat and sleep."

"I have no idea how Loly found the time to learn it, then."

Menoly shrugged, a smile on her face. "It couldn't be that she forced all of her work on me so she could ogle Aizen. Definitely not."

"Shut up!" Loly shouted.

"About your Zanpakuto... where are they?" He asked. "I don't seen one on your person."

"We don't carry them around." Menoly explained.

He changed his gaze to Loly. "What's the point of having a Resurreccion if you don't even have your Zanpakuto on you?"

"I was hoping that you'd be able to protect me and I wouldn't have to use my Zanpakuto." She said. "But being as you lost to Grimmjow that badly, I might have to go back and get it."

"That won't be necessary."

"And why's that? You suddenly stronger?"

"Yes. My wounds have healed. My head feels clearer. I think what he drugged me with has finally cleared out of my system." He pounded his fist. "I can finally fight at full strength."

* * *

After a few hours, the three eventually stumbled upon a cave, surrounded by a large group of hollows. "I told you to leave!" Shouted a voice.

"No can do. Lord Baraggan ordered us to bring you there."

A large, hairy-man, had a glaive- a polearm with a blade. He had walked out of the cave, an unconscious Arrancar at his feet. "Stay out, or die."

Matthias walked over. "What is going on?"

"These hooligans invaded my home." The hairy man told him.

"Because we were ordered to!"

"It is clear to me what I must do." Matthias drew his Nodachi, discarded the sheath, and slashed a hollow across the chest. The beast stumbled backward. Matthias advanced, stabbing the hollow through the neck.

"That was our friend, you jerk!" A hollow shouted. "We were letting you fight him because we thought he could win alone. But we won't under estimate you again." A group surrounded Matthias.

Matthias and the Arrancar with the glaive slashed and Cero'd through the group. Matthias' cero was a cool blue, whereas the hairy Arrancar's cero was burgundy. Within minutes, the two Arrancar effortlessly tore through their opponents.

Eventually, the remainder of them fled. "We'll bring more! You two will be sorry!"

"If you're here about the war, I don't want to be involved." The glaive wielder said.

"Actually, we're in the same boat." Matthias said. "We know that one side or the other will try to kill us if we don't group up. Which means to avoid being killed, we have to work together."

"So you three aren't with either side?"

"Correct." Matthias said.

He nodded. "Then I will work with you. However, I won't fight anyone unless my life is threatened. The three of you may move into my cave, however, I won't have much more room after you come in."

"Thank you for your kindness." Matthias said. "What is your name?"

"Perrault Solomon. And you are?"

"I am Matthias Iscariot. My companions are Loly Aivirrne with the black hair, and Menoly Malli with the blonde hair."

"I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance."

* * *

"DAMN IT!" Baraggan stomped his foot, shaking the fake sky. "That bastard Starrk killed those hollows as if they were nothing. Now we barely have a quarter of what we previously had. Tosen and Zommari. You two search West of Las Noches. Aaronierio and Tesla. You two search East. Yammy, search the North. Nnoitra, search the South. I want every powerful Arrancar in the area to serve me. Understand?"

* * *

At the same time, Harribel was also searching for the other powerful Arrancar that Aizen had documentation of.

* * *

The Tres Bestias were walking through Hueco Mundo, trying to find a good spot to activate their Scout Ayon from. Before they found a place, however, they ran into Ichimaru.

"Hey. What are you fine Arrancar doing?" Gin asked with his ever present grin and eyes closed.

"I'd like to ask you the same question." Apacchi said.

"You'd as me, what I'm doing as a fine Arrancar? Sorry, but I'm not an Arrancar."

"That's not what I meant!" She yelled. "Why are you helping us, Ichimaru? What do you gain?"

"For one, I don't agree with what Baraggan is doing. I also believe Harribel's cause is more just."

"What about Aizen previously? Was that more just than the Soul Society?"

"Oh? You didn't believe what Aizen told you? Then why did you follow his orders?" Despite the sarcastic remark, Gin remembered when he was a child. He saw a younger Aizen holding a pink orb, and three Soul Reapers kneeling around him. He was but a child then, but he still knew Aizen was up to something.

"I only fought for him because Lady Harribel was fighting for him, and I couldn't just abandon her." Apacchi explained. "But you didn't answer my question."

"Didn't I?" He began to walk away.

"Wait-"

"It isn't worth it." Mila Rose told her. "Trying to talk to him is like talking to someone who doesn't speak the same language as you."

* * *

The three eventually settled for the lunch room. They sacrificed a finger and then summoned Ayon.

"So what do we do with this guy?" Apacchi asked. "We gotta test him out."

"We need to have a target." Sung-Sun agreed.

"We can't start with Baraggan because who knows what'll happen if he sees it. We need to test it on someone who won't destroy it." Mila Rose pointed out. She snapped her fingers. "We can try it on Starrk."

"Go to Starrk." Apacchi ordered. The small Arrancar complied, walking away.

Around ten minutes later, he came back.

"So... did you spy on him?"

The small Arrancar didn't respond.

"He can't speak, remember?" Sung-Sun reminded her.

"How the hell are we supposed to use him for spying if we can't figure out what he saw? It'd be pointless."

"We could strap a camera to him." Mila Rose suggested.

"Where you gonna get a camera that'll fit on this man. If you've forgotten, he's six inches tall. The camera will be bigger than he is." Apacchi sighed.

"Is there a way we can summon a smarter version of him?" Sung-Sun asked.

"Not that I know of." Apacchi said. "Is there any way we can read his mind or something? I don't really know what to do."

"Actually, I can help you with that."

The three spun around, to see Gin standing there.

"When the hell did you get there?"

"I've been tailing you for a while now. The three of you should be more observant." He knelt next to the small Arrancar. "I can use a Kido spell to link the three of your minds with his. You can give him orders via your thoughts, and you can see what he sees, should you wish to."

"Sounds too good to be true." Apacchi said. "Why didn't the Soul Society do that to Aizen?"

"It only works on those who allow to it. If Aizen wanted them to, he would have. But he didn't."

"What do you want us to do so we can use it?" Mila Rose asked.

Gin rubbed his chin, his grin still present. "My, my... what do the three of you have to offer me? What do I want...?"

"Come on, think of something." Apacchi said. "We don't have all day, ya know."

"Well... the answer is obvious to me. There are three beautiful Arrancar... and there's me... I wonder what we could do...? I wonder... wonder..."

"Pervert!" Apacchi punched him in the head.

"Ow! I was just kidding... you didn't have to hit me..." He rubbed his head, trying to make himself look hurt. However, that was hard to do with a smile on your face. "Now I'm definitely not helping you."

"Come on, Gin!" Apacchi said. "I... I didn't mean it! Please!"

"Wait hang on." He held out a finger. "You hear that? It's the sound of me not helping you."

"Gin!" Mila Rose yelled. "Stop teasing us and use it already!"

"Sorry, I gotta help Nelliel repair Las Noches." He shrugged. "Maybe next time."

"What could we do for you to use that spell?" Sung-Sun asked.

"My last suggestion got me punched. So I'm not going to say anything." He rubbed his hands together. "Well, see ya later." He began to walk away.

"No Gin!" Apacchi reached out and grabbed his ankle. "We need your help!"

"Hmm... How badly do you want it?"

"Really badly."

"Rub my feet."

"Ew! No! I don't need your help that bad."

"Fine then. I'll just find someone else to use it on. By the way, I can only use it once."

"You're lying! Why would you only be able to use it once? That doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't need to make sense. So. Make it worth my while, and I'll do it." He sat down on the ground, took off his shoes, and stretched his legs. "Come on. My feet aren't going to massage themselves."

Apacchi gagged and turned to her two companions. "Mila Rose, you do it."

"Uh... no."

"Sung-Sun?"

Sung-Sun starred at her.

"I'll take that as a no." Apacchi turned toward Gin's feet once again and gagged before even looking at them. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" She said.

"Just kidding!" Gin grinned. "You don't have to do that." He used his Kido spell. A ball translucent red orb appeared around the tiny Arrancar's head. It disappeared.

"Just get out of here." Apacchi shook her head.

"Fine..." He put his shoes back on and flash stepped away.

"Now that we can do this... let's test it out." Mila Rose said.

"No! I almost rubbed Gin's feet! I'm the one whose testing this!" Apacchi cried.

"Okay, okay." Mila Rose shook her head. "Whatever."

 _Go spy on Starrk._ She thought. As she thought this, the red orb appeared.

The small monster turned and went to Starrk's room.

Apacchi suddenly saw what he was seeing. It was like a transparent hologram was floating in front of her, of what Ayon was seeing. He walked to Starrk's door, realized it was closed, so he fell down to the ground and rolled under the crack.

The Primera was sleeping on the floor. Lilynette was sleeping on his bed, with all but the smallest of the Espada's blankets. Starrk seemed to be sprawled out, as if he had been knocked off the bed.

"Do you think they always sleep in the same bed?" Apacchi asked.

"I dunno." Ichimaru said, shrugging.

"I told you to leave!"

"Okay, okay. Stop yelling." He disappeared again.

"I don't think it's sexual, if that's what you're asking." Mila Rose said.

"Of course that's not what I'm asking! They're the same being, so it's not weird if they sleep in the same bed. I was just wondering."

"I don't know. Even if it's not sexual, the age difference makes it weird." Mila Rose said.

"They're the same being. She only appears like she's that age. She's as old as Starrk, dumbass."

* * *

After ten minutes of Starrk softly snoring, Appachi finally said, "Okay, I think we're good."

"Yeah, after watching Starrk sleep for ten minutes." Sung-Sun responded. "That was incredibly awkward."

"I had to make sure it worked!"

"Yeah, sure. That's why you just starred at Starrk for that long."

"I... I had to make sure it worked for a long period of time!"

"Do you normally watch people sleep? Or is this a new thing for you?"

"How many of these things can we summon?" Mila Rose asked, changing the subject.

"Probably ten, at max. However..." Apacchi gestured down to the arm they sacrificed to summon the full sized version during the Winter War. And they were down two fingers already. "Which leaves three. If we divide it at the joints we have two from the thumb and six from the pinky and ring finger."

"So the maximum would be increased to twenty eight." Sung-Sun stated.

"We should probably save them for when Lady Harribel needs us to use it."

"That healer could heal us." Mila Rose said.

"But she's useless if she can't use your ability. Remember her freaking head was damaged. Something about a Rocket Area."

"Broca's area." Sung-Sun corrected. "That's what controlled speech, not her ability."

"You knew what I meant."

* * *

Matthias was lying on the ground, not far from Loly and Menoly's bed. There was only one bed, which Solomon allowed the girls to sleep in. Neither of them were asleep, being as it was still bright outside.

"So. Why aren't you helping either of the sides?" Solomon asked Matthias.

"Loly saved me from death. So I'm working with her."

He turned to the girls. "What about you two?"

"Harribel's side has Grimmjow... who killed us. Baraggan's side... well... has Baraggan." Loly explained. "Both of them are ridiculous, so I don't want to be on either of their sides- there's no telling what they'd do if they got angry."

"He killed you? What do you mean?"

"You've been in here a while. Aizen's bringing people back to life, well, actually we don't know if it's Aizen but it's likely him."

"How?"

"We don't know."

"What a pain in the ass." Solomon said. "The more people who come back to life, the more I have tell to leave me alone."

 _Can we trust this guy?_ Loly thought. _I suppose we don't really have a choice in the matter, if we want a place to sleep. However, we better stay on guard. Hopefully he doesn't try to kill us in our sleep or something._

* * *

Notes: *I kinda gave up on the double letter motif that Arrancar have.

Once again, I appreciate the long review, Hallow.

No, Gin was just trying to find an excuse to avoid helping them and that was the first thing that he could think of. There won't be any shipping in this story. Mainly because I hate shipping. Unless my partner thinks it'd be a good idea to have shipping, then we'd have to discuss it. Granz' room was beyond repair, completely destroyed. The remains are still there, anyone who wanted to go to it would just have to go around Las Noches. They sealed it off like that because making another room for someone who (probably) wasn't going to wake up again would be a waste of time.

Tosen likes to play himself off as smart, but I don't really think he's as intelligent as he seems. Why would he give up his blindness? He'd know that it'd limit his vision more than just using spirit energy to see around- which caused his death. Something he mentioned in this chapter.

I have literally no idea who Arturo Plateado is, aside your mention of him in your last review. Any similarities between this guy and Arturo were unintentional. I haven't played any of the bleach games. I've been meaning to get Bleach: Soul Resurreccion, but I'm poor. (Resurreccion is the only one I have the system for).

Perhaps I haven't made it clear enough, but I thought I did with Baraggan's remark in the last chapter. There aren't going to be any more revivals, sorry if I made it seem like there would be.

I'm discussing the two from the movie with my partner. However, I won't include the Unnamed Female Arrancar. Mostly because she came from filler. Partially because she wasn't important enough to even get a name.

About the Spanish Wikia thing, that's odd. The English Wikia doesn't mention Kubo at all. I assumed having his name on the cover is like a Fanfiction writer putting the original author of the work on their document to give credit to the original author (obviously it's a little different). Again, I don't know how to read, so I haven't read any of the Bleach Light Novels.

I don't know which light novel Dark was talking about, I was just using The Spirits Are Forever With You as an example.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Panther Becomes a Construction Worker

Nelliel, wearing a large, orange-Construction Worker hat, began to walk through Las Noches. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Lead on, former Tercera!" Pesche shouted, marching behind her. He also had a hard hat on.

"Yeah! What he said!" Dondochakka was also wearing one, one that was much too small for his enormous head.

Grimmjow sighed. "These idiots..." Nelliel argued with the Espada for nearly five minutes about wearing the hard hat. In the end Grimmjow put the hard hat on. "Arguing with children is pointless. I have a better chance of arguing with a damned wall."

* * *

The group went up to the entrance, where Grimmjow fought Matthias.

"When did this get here?" Nelliel asked. "Well, we better get to work." She grabbed her container of glue, and dumped some of it in the gash that was on the ground, where he shot the Arrancar with countless balas, and tossed a long piece of wood on it. "Now for the wall..."

"That's it?" Grimmjow asked. "You barely even..." _Wait a minute... the sloppier the work is, the less time I have to spend with these idiots._ He grabbed the container of glue, cut it in half with his sword, and sprayed it on the wall where he pushed Matthias into with a cero. He slapped a piece of wood over it.

"Yeah! That's the spirit Grimmjow!" Pesche shouted.

"Whoaaaaaaa! Go Grimmjow!" Nelliel cheered.

He looked around, seeing that was the only blemish he and Matthias inflicted onto the building.

* * *

The group went to Aaroniero's room and "repaired" the damage that was done unto his room. Aside from the gaping hole in his wall, there was only minor damage.

"Do we even need to do this?" Grimmjow complained. "He's not even on our side. He's with Baraggan."

Pesche shrugged. "Lady Harribel told us to repair Las Noches. So we're repairing everything."

* * *

Eventually, they ran out of glue. "I think you over did it when you sprayed it on the wall." Dondochakka said.

"Wanna say that again, tubby?"

"Uh... no..." Dondochakka said, swallowing hard. "Sorry, sir..." _I... am so scared... WHAT IS A TUBBY?!_ He thought.

"Looks like we're done for the day, then." Pesche said. "That sucks."

"It really does." Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "It's a shame I can't waste any more of my time."

* * *

Harribel walked into the Espada meeting room to see two people in there. Coyote Starrk, asleep on the table, and Grimmjow was eating out of Starrk's lunchbox.

"What do you think you're doing?" Harribel asked in an accusing tone.

"Eating."

"Where is Nelliel?"

"We finished."

"I said the entire day. I didn't say half ass the job and leave."

"WHAT?"

"Go back there and stay with her. The. Entire. Day."

"Hey, Starrk!" Lilynette called, while walking down the hallway. "Did you enjoy your-" She walked in, seeing Grimmjow with his greedy paws in the lunch, she slaved over so Starrk could eat something.

"What do you want?" Grimmjow asked.

"That... was Starrk's..." Lilynette fumed, as light green energy glowed around her body. "I made it... just for him..."

She walked toward him, grabbing a chair and slammed it down on his head.

"What the hell? You bi-" She hit him again, this time across the jaw.

 _Damn this tiny devil... if I hit her, there's no telling what Starrk will do. Not to mention Harribel..._ Grimmjow thought, as he quickly shot out of his chair, pushing the table in the process.

As the table pushed into him, Starrk got him. He looked into the box, and began to eat the rice. All while Lilynette continued to bash Grimmjow with the chair, while he refused to hit her back. "This is some of the worst rice I've ever had." He mumbled, mouth full. Despite that, he continued to eat it.

Shocked, Lilynette paused. Then there was only a single coherent sentence could form in her head. "YOU JERK!" She turned and hurled the chair at him. The metal chair split directly in half on Coyote's head.

The Primera rubbed his head. "... Ow..." He mumbled.

Grimmjow, taking advantage of her distraction, snuck out of the room. Harribel had left some time in the middle of the scuffle. She had other business to take care of.

"I can't believe you didn't like it!" Lilynette said. "Grimmjow ate it fine. What was wrong with it?"

He shrugged. "I dunno."

She exhaled through her nose. She walked over, and tried it herself. She immediately gagged it spat it out in the trashcan. "Too much salt. Way too much salt."

* * *

Tesla, alongside Zommari, walked through the desert known as Hueco Mundo. The two eventually encountered a high leveled Arrancar that Baraggan wanted on his team. At the moment his spirit energy was around Nnoitra. But Baraggan said that he was far more powerful in a battle.

The Arrancar had unkempt hair, and exhausted blue eyes. He was wearing a black martial arts gi. "What do you want?" He asked as the two approached. He had his back to them, a one-handed, forward-curvature sword in his hand. He was hacking and slashing at a desert tree, which were much stronger than trees in the human world.

"Would you be willing to serve Lord Baraggan?" Zommari asked. "He wishes that you become one of his subjects."

"I was unaware that he was alive." He said. "Then again, if I got brought back, then I suppose that he could have come back as well."

"You were one of the ones who came back?" Tesla asked.

"Yeah."

"When did you die? I never sensed spirit energy before." Zommari asked.

"A long time ago." He pointed to the Las Noches. "Before that was built. I was sitting here in Hueco Mundo, when I was stabbed from behind by an enormous sword. I remember sensing a Soul Reaper, but I don't remember what his energy felt like."

 _Could he be talking about Ichimaru?_ Zommari thought. _He fits the description. Why on Earth would he do that? I'm sure he would have done it for Aizen's plan. Most likely, he didn't want this man to get in the way of the plan with the Espada, should that succeed. So he killed some powerful Arrancar, which Gin managed to get a few pages of information about, then brought them back to life for this plan. Absolutely genius! Once we accumulate enough power, we'll be able to break him free from his prison in the Soul Society._

The Arrancar stood up. "I'll go."

"What's your name?" Zommari asked.

"Sartino Juare."

* * *

Roka, the healing Arrancar, had energy glowing at her hand. In front of her was Apacchi, holding out her hand with the missing fingers. The energy cracked and then failed to heal her.

"It's slowly returning. I will be able to heal you soon, Apacchi. I apologize."

"For that, you have to do this." She pushed a paper into her chest.

"You're just giving it to her because you don't want to do it." Sung-Sun remarked.

"You shut up!" Apacchi shouted over her shoulder. She turned back to the healer. "Find that Arrancar. Bring him back here. I'm counting on you."

Her eyes widened, looking down at the paper.

"Is there a problem?"

"Uh... no, sorry..." She got up to leave.

* * *

The small Arrancar made her way to a narrow valley. As she walked, she looked up to see several large Arrancar on top of it, looking down at her. She felt extremely small and insignificant with them towering over her. _My spirit energy is too low for them to target me, my spirit energy is too low for them to target me, my spirit energy is too low..._ She repeatedly told herself.

An Arrancar, the size of a man walked toward her. "What the hell are you doing here? This is my territory!"

"I'm... looking for someone." She said, taking a moment to find her voice.

"Begone. I have no need of people like you." He reached his hand up, as if to punch her. But a hand caught his wrist.

"Don't touch her." Growled the new comer. He was an inch or two shorter than the other, but his spirit energy was more potent. The new comer was wearing a black trench coat, with a hood up.

"Fuente?" Asked the Arrancar.

"Are you looking for me?" The newcomer asked the girl.

"Yes, I am. I'm sure of it." She responded.

He let go of the other Arrancar's wrist, still not talking to him. "What do you need?"

"My name is Roka Paramia. Will you please serve Lady Harribel in this up coming war?"

"War?" The other asked. "What war?"

"Lord Baraggan and Lady Harribel are going to war. I am serving Lady-"

He laughed. "You're gonna die, girl. Baraggan's gonna tear you and your forces apart. If you were smart, Fuente, you'd join up with him."

"Guess I'm not smart then." He firmly planted his foot in his kneecap, snapping it backward, and before his opponent could scream he drew his Zanpakuto, a dagger, and sliced the man's throat. He was dead on contact with the blade.

"Was that... necessary?" Roka asked.

"He was bothering me. And he was going to side with Baraggan anyway. If he was strong, he would have been a threat. Good thing he wasn't strong, though."

"We do things differently with Harribel."

"Oops."

"I won't tell anyone, as long as you won't do it again."

He smiled. "Guess this'll be our little secret then, huh?"

As the two were walking back to Las Noches he said, "My name is Severiano Fuente, by the way."

* * *

A young woman in a tattered black trench coat and a large black hat was approached by Aaroniero. "Please come with me."

"What for?" She asked.

"Please, just come."

"Not until you tell me why."

"Please, I'll explain then."

Irritated, she drew a rapier, a straight sword with a fine point, and gestured it at the Espada. "You're pissing me off."

"You'll fit right in, then." He said. "Lord Baraggan is recruiting Arrancar, and he wishes to speak with you."

* * *

Notes: I apologize for not having a chapter out last week. I just wanted to organize all my documents and stuff without having to worry about posting something. Unfortunately, I realized that writing was more something that I felt like I had to do rather than something that I wanted to do during that break. So I'm going to take an extended break. I don't know for how long, but I will make sure to get back to this story in a decent amount of time.

If you went back to the last episode of Starrk, I had rushed to finish it- just to get it out of the way. I didn't realize it at the time, but that's what I was doing. I don't want the quality to suffer of any of my stories, so I'm taking a break. Again, I'm sorry.

I just uploaded a new image for this story. I did the picture in GIMP, giving a picture of Starrk the marks of Madara's edo tessei. I hope you guys like it.

To Hallow: I never even considered using the Ayon clones like that. That'd be interesting, for sure. I'd rather have played the game, seeing his [being Arturo] personality first hand, and not reading about it and then guessing the actual specifics, a personal matter of opinion. So unforunately to his fans, Arturo Plateado will not be appearing in this story- unless I suddenly get the game.

I can understand why the English Wikia would prefer to have a "if it isn't canon we can't mention it" policy, however, I'd prefer as much information as possible. So if I come across something with little info, I'll check the Spanish Wikia.

Some people do think that Jump forced Kubo to end his series. That was probably part of it -they rushed him to finish a chapter every week- however, he would lean on his arm when he was drawing and he tore a ligament in his arm. It wasn't directly Jump that ended the series- but Jump inadvertently ended the series by not giving him enough breaks and so on. JaymesHanson made a YouTube video on this called "The REAL Reason Bleach Ended!" I can't find the first video where he talked about the torn ligament itself, though, he did briefly mention it in that video.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Arrancar versus Arrancar

"Starrk!" Shouted Lilynette, punching the man in the stomach while he slept. He groaned and sat forward.

"Wwwwwhhhhhaaaaaaaaatttt?" He complained.

"Come on, dude! You're the Primera Espada! You need to meet Harribel's forces!"

"Huh...?" The Primera rubbed his face. "Her forces?"

"What do you think people have been doing for the past week?"

* * *

"So where is it?" Starrk asked Lilynette as the two walked down the hallways of Las Noches.

"Just in the main room. The one where Aizen talked to us in."

"Right."

As the two approached the door, Pesche opened it for the two of them. "Master Starrk. Lady Lilynette." He bowed to the two.

"Huh?" Lilynette asked. "Why are you being so formal?"

"The two of you make the Primera Espada. I must show my respect to you."

Starrk pushed her forward.

The leader of Hueco Mundo was sitting in a folding chair, the same as everyone else, which was sitting where Aizen's chair used to be. She had folding chairs for each former Espada and her Tres Bestias. There were two chairs empty, one for Starrk and one for Lilynette.

Everyone else was sitting in the other side of the room.

"Now that everyone is together," Harribel called. "I will describe what our goal is. Why I have assembled you here. And why I need your help."

"You need our help...?" Whispered one of the Arrancar. This was a young man, with black hair that had emerald highlights. He was average height, and his Zanpakuto was a sub machine, which was strapped to his back. However, Starrk knew that the man was powerful. He could sense his spirit energy, and he knew that he was strong. "Why would the leader of Hueco Mundo, Tier Harribel, need the help of nobodies like us?"

"Baraggan is forming a group of Arrancar. And we need as many people as we can gather to battle against his forces."

"AH!" The man stood up, grinning. "So we're going to be your cannon fodder!"

"Please explain." Harribel asked.

"You don't care if we live or we die. You just want us to take care of the small fries so you can fight without being harassed by the smaller warriors." He drew his weapon, and gestured at her with it. "Tell me I'm wrong."

When he pulled up his gun, Lilynette sat forward in her seat.

"Sit back down." Starrk said.

"But he's pointing that gun in our direction!"

"His finger isn't on the trigger. Look." It was true. The man's finger was on the side of the gun.

"But it would only take half a second for him to move his finger."

"And in a quarter Harribel could Sonido out of the way."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"So?" The gunman asked. "What do you have to say about that?"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Apacchi roared. "She treated her Fraccion like we were her own sisters! You have no experience with the way Harribel deals with her subordinate, you piece of-"

"Enough." Harribel said. "It is a valid point." She looked him in the eye. "You are completely justified to think like that. However, plenty people will vouch for me that my methods as a leader are not what you think. I only want more soldiers because I don't want my people to be outnumbered and killed. If our numbers are roughly equal, that won't happen as much. Correct?"

"Yes, I suppose you're right." He put the weapon back at his back. "I apologize for the accusation." He bowed. "I also apologize for pointing my weapon at you. I had no intention of shooting anyone here."

"You may return to your seat."

He nodded and sat back down in his chair.

"We have no idea when Baraggan's forces will attack. So to avoid this, we'll have a high leveled Arrancar at each entrance, as well as an Arrancar used to patrol the area. The rest of the Arrancar will train for the up coming battle. Is there any objections?"

"What happens if they attack while everyone is tired from training?" Asked a woman with a javelin running across her lap. She had long brown hair, and silver eyes.

"That's a particularly good point. To avoid this, we will only have half the people train at one time. The other half will be well rested."

"Thank you for considering my response, Lady Harribel."

"Is there anyone else who has anything to say?"

* * *

Baraggan was sitting in his large chair, while all of his forces stood beneath him, aloft the fake sky in Hueco Mundo. "After testing everyone's abilities, we will attack Harribel and her forces. Starrk will be the hardest opponent to defeat, so I will battle him myself."

"Why do you get to decide everything?" Asked a blond haired boy with green eyes. "We're fighting just as much as you are, douche."

"If you don't like the way I'm doing things, then join Harribel's side." Baraggan said. "If anyone else has any questions, keep them to yourselves."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Asked the blond.

"I am Baraggan Louisenbairn. The strongest Arrancar. If you want to stand against me, I suggest you get stronger before hand."

* * *

Starrk was sitting in front of a gate, with the man that stood up during Harribel's meeting.

Starrk had his eyes closed, and he was breathing softly.

"So are you asleep?" The man asked.

"I wish."

"Sitting here is so damn boring. We could at least get to know each other."

"What do you want to know?"

"What's your name? Rank?"

"Coyote Starrk. I am the Primera Espada."

"Huh. My name is Dingo Gaudao."

"An interesting name. Do you go by Dingo or Gaudao?"

"Dingo."

"What kind of a gun is that? I know it's a submachine gun, but I don't recognize the design."

He pulled his weapon from his back. "It's a Thompson Submachine Gun. It's also called the Annihilator, the Chicago Organ Grinder, the Tommy Gun."

"That is interesting indeed. Most Zanpakuto take the form a sword. I myself have a gun in my released form."

"A gun, huh? What kind do you have?"

"Dual pistols."

"Why don't we have a little bit of a spar, right now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I cannot release my Zanpakuto. Also, I cannot hold back."

"That's pretty interesting."

* * *

In the lunch room, Pesche was eating a sandwich. A woman with long, forest green hair walked in. She had a polearm running across her back. She nodded to Pesche and sat down across from him.

"Did you get back from training?" Pesche asked her.

"I did. And you?"

"I'm right about to head off to the training room."

She nodded. "Good, good."

"Ya know..." Pesche leaned back in his chair. "I was once hailed as Pesche, the Strongest Warrior in the Entire Universe. Training is just to keep me from becoming too powerful."

"Is that so?"

"It is. At one point, I was so powerful that anyone who got near me died immediately. Prevented me from making any friends. I was all alone..."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"... Yeah."

"Then you're more stupid than I thought. Strongest Warrior in the Entire Universe is too much of a mouthful. Only Coyote Starrk, the Primera Espada, has been able to kill people with just his spirit energy."

She grabbed her food from the fridge, then left.

"Damn..." Pesche mumbled. "Well that chick thinks I'm stupid now..."

* * *

An unarmed solider battled against a man with a club. The club wielder roared and swung the weapon at the other, who blocked it with his forearms, then kicked the man hard in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

The unarmed Arrancar collapsed to his knees, while the other got back up.

"Let's take a break." Said the one who was still standing.

"Yeah..." He agreed.

"What was your name again?"

"Renzo Ledanaro... And I never asked for your name."

"Donn Cervanias. Why aren't you using your Zanpakuto?"

"I am." He held up his fists. "I have no weapon, just my fists. However, my power is sealed into my fists, the same way your power is sealed into your club."

"That doesn't make sense. To become an Arrancar, one must seal their power into something else. How can you seal it within yourself?"

"Maybe because these aren't attached to me." He took his left hand off, put it back on, then took off his right hand. "A long time ago, I lost both my hands. I got prosthetics instead. I could have healed them, but I decided to keep them. To remind myself of my failure."

"What do you think of Baraggan's methods?"

"I don't know. I just know that Aizen gave me power, so breaking him out is the first priority. I owe him."

"He was the one who killed you, Renzo."

"He did. But he also brought me back to life."

"That is true. I will have to consider that position."

"Why are you here?"

"That's a good question. I'll have to ask myself that. I'm only here because someone asked if I wanted to be here."

* * *

Notes: Sorry for the long break. Also, unfortunately my partner lost motivation for the story. Still, I'm going to continue on. But if anyone wants to move in, go ahead and talk to me and I'll determine if you're suitable or not.

Does anyone have any suggestions for the story?

Also, this is the last time I'm going to say it. I don't think I can be any more clear. No more Arrancar are being revived.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Chained Sword

"This is stupid." Said a young woman with a rapier at her hip. She was wearing a tattered black cloak around her body, and a broad black hat that obscured her graying black hair. Golden eyes glared from under the brim of the hat. "Why do I have to do this? My talents would be way better suited to killing the enemy."

"Gathering more people is important. It's not a job anyone wants to do, but it's a necessary job." Her partner responded. Her partner was a young man with brown hair and black eyes. He was wearing black armor, with a straight hand and a half sword at his hip.

"Who the hell asked you?"

"There isn't anyone else out here to talk to." It was true. The two of them were walking through the desert of Hueco Mundo, with no one around. "I can sense his spirit energy getting stronger, which means we're getting close."

"I didn't ask anyone, dickhead. I was just saying."

"Whatever."

"Don't whatever me!"

Magenta energy glowed around his body, forcing the girl to jump away from him. "Don't test me." He warned. "I'll kill you without a second of hesitation. And we both know your not strong enough to stand against me in a real fight."

She clenched her teeth, but said nothing.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"What do you care?"

"So if you die here, I can tell Master Baraggan who died for his cause."

"I don't think he'd care. But my name is Paula Cloe."

"And I'm Zaffon Mariez."

The two continued to walk in silence for several minutes.

Finally, Zaffon stopped. "He's here."

The two began to look around.

"Do the two of you really think you can defeat me?" Asked a voice, not far from them.

"We only want-"

Suddenly a sword slashed at the man, causing him to block with his own. The blade was a two handed straight sword. It was longer than Zaffon's, however, his blade was thicker. Zaffon pushed him back, then slashed at the man.

The Arrancar's skin was rather pale, and his clothes were completely white. Long black hair hung at his head. Upon closer inspection, Zaffon realized his blade had been chipped quite a bit and his weapon was attached to a chain that was wrapped across the man's body.

"You idiot! We-" Paula yelled.

"Enough. Talking to this guy isn't going to make a difference. We'll have to tell him what we mean with our fists."

"Right." She drew her sword as well.

"Stay out of my way, Paula. Your spirit energy is not nearly strong enough to fight this man's."

"Neither is your's. You'll die here if you don't stand down."

"I don't fear death."

"Don't fear death, huh?" Asked the newcomer. "I'll make you beg for death, then! I'm going to chop you up into little pieces and then- and then- then I'll devour you!"

"Go ahead and try."

"You really piss me off, you know that?"

* * *

Minutes later, both fighters were huffing and puffing. At one point, Zaffon blocked a strike wrong and got his arm cut quite a bit. Not long after, Zaffon got lucky and slashed him across the shoulder.

"You're strong..." Said the Arrancar with the chain. "Are there more people as strong as you are where you come from?"

"There is. We actually came to ask you about that. Would you be willing to serve Master Baraggan?"

He smirked. "I don't see why I shouldn't. As long as I get to fight, then it shouldn't matter."

* * *

A young woman wearing blue jeans and a gray jacket floated to the hole in the sky.

As soon as she approached, weapons were pointed at her.

"Why are you here?" One voice asked.

"Who do you serve?" Another growled.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" A third barked.

"I have come to serve Lord Baraggan." The girl said. "My name is Cirilli Lurk. I will be a good addition to his team."

Baraggan walked over. "If you want to join my team, you will have to prove yourself in battle. Are you willing to do that?"

"Yes."

"There is a group of four Arrancar, not far from Las Noches. Two women, neither of which will be a problem. And two men. Neither has shown their true potential. However, one or both of them killed one of my men not long ago. I want all of them dead."

"I will deal with these people."

* * *

Harribel and the Tres Bestias were sitting at a table. They now had both arms and all of their fingers. "They just recruited two more people." Apacchi told her.

"Which is a total of nineteen capable warriors." Mila-Rose said. "Obviously that doesn't include the hollows that he recruited, because those won't be hard for anyone to defeat."

"We have no more leads on Arrancar that could potentially serve us." Harribel said. "So I assume we will stay stagnant at twenty one members."

"Also, milady, it appears that we have something they don't." Sung-Sun said. "A healer. It would seem that they only have brute force, which suits Baraggan quite nicely."

"That does give us the advantage, as well as the advantage in numbers. However, we cannot grow conceited because of these facts. We all must train."

"There is something else." Ichimaru said, walking toward them. "Something the four of you haven't even considered." His grin broaded. "The element of surprise, of course! Should Baraggan attack you, your small warriors will alert you immediately! However, he has no such thing. He believes that he is strong enough to defeat you without valuable intel. That is his greatest flaw."

"He may be able to." Harribel said. "Baraggan's to decay anything at a specific range will be quite the thing to deal with."

"Doesn't Coyote outrank him?" Apacchi asked.

"He outranks you, too. Show some respect." Sung-Sun ordered.

"Whatever, my point still stands!"

"Our ranks were made by the potency of our spirit energy alone, not our fighting capacity. Starrk's spirit energy is stronger, however, I don't know if that would mean he would win in a battle." Harribel explained. "If Starrk's spirit energy was much stronger than Baraggan's, then that would mean the Segunda's ability wouldn't affect the Primera. However, I don't know how much stronger Starrk is than Baraggan."

"The man has to have a limit." Ichimaru suggested. "No one's spirit energy can last forever. If Starrk constantly assaults him with his Los Lobos, there really isn't anything Baraggan can do about it."

 _Is Gin being serious?_ Apacchi realized. _What the hell is happening?_

"Still. We have no way to prove that he can last that long. I don't want him to die for nothing."

Just then, Starrk walked in. The Tres Bestias jumped. Gin mocked surprise, despite feeling his spirit energy ages ago. "I'll do it. I'll get in close before he releases his Zanpakuto, then I'll Sonido to a secure location."

"If you don't attack him then, you might miss your chance to kill him." Apacchi said. "You should probably do that."

"Even so." Starrk said. "If I miss when I tried to kill him, our death count would be higher than if he just defeated me."

"I'm not about to sacrifice you, Starrk." Harribel said.

"Then let me know when you form a better plan." Starrk told her. "Until then, I'm going to train to defeat Baraggan Louisenbairn with Lilynette."

* * *

Matthias, Loly, and Menoly were sitting in Solomon's house. Said Arrancar was currently gathering information.

"How long do you think he's going to take?" Loly asked.

"Be patient." Menoly told her.

"Matthias, why don't you go look for him?"

"I owe you a great deal, but Solomon is the one who owns this property, and he told us to stay put unless we were under attack."

"But he's been gone for hours!"

"He said he would." Matthias reminded her. "He said that if he isn't back by the time we go to sleep, then someone should look for him."

* * *

Minutes later, Solomon walked in. "Both sides are preparing for a battle. I spoke to a newcomer on Baraggan's side, and she said they were likely going to attack soon. Harribel's side is training hard in order to stand up to Baraggan."

"Yeah, I think it'd be best to stay out of this battle. I don't really want to die, ya know?" Loly said. "Besides. I don't have any reason to get involved."

"No one was arguing with you, Loly." Menoly pointed out.

"Shut up, I was thinking out loud."

"Baraggan's side seems to believe that Louisenbairn plans to break Aizen out of prison when and if he wins the war."

"What the hell..." Menoly mumbled. "That doesn't make sense. He always hated Aizen why would-"

"He's lying." Loly growled. "What an asshole. I'd kick his ass if I could."

"I thought we were staying out of it?" Solomon asked.

"I wasn't actually planning on fighting the Segunda Espada."

* * *

Aizen's brow furrowed. "No one has come. That means the Espada are either no longer loyal to me, or there was a struggle for power. Potentially, one side could be on my side. If Starrk has a side, he would likely side with me, because he is a pushover. As would Ulquiorra. However, most of the other Espada have no real allegiance to me. Should Starrk be on my side, I assume some would work with him because of his power. I cannot be sure of anything, and I have no way of getting information. This is not a good position for me to be in. If I considered losing as more of an option, then perhaps I would have more thoroughly planned this. It would seem that the mind control hasn't work as expected."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Lurk Versus Matthias

Starrk was sitting at the entrance along with another Arrancar. Starrk was leaning on his fist, boredly watching the desert of Hueco Mundo.

"My name is Shakars Bisico. It's a pleasure to meet you, Primera Espada."

 _Is she just nice, or is she being nice because I'm the Primera?_ Starrk thought. _Oh well, it doesn't matter._

"I'm Coyote Starrk. It's nice to meet you too."

"I heard you were once the strongest Arrancar."

"Hmm? Didn't you call me the Primera just a moment ago?"

"Yes. That was your former rank. However, now with all these people showing up, there's bound to be a few stronger than you."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Although, I haven't sensed anyone with a higher energy than I am. However, I cannot sense anyone from Baraggan's team, so I suppose they could have someone stronger than I am."

"Doesn't that scare you? Someone with higher spirit energy doesn't scare you in the slightest?"

"No, it doesn't. Spiritual energy doesn't determine fighting ability. For exam, Nnoitra Gilga has more spiritual energy than Grimmjow Jaegerjquez, but Grimmjow is a better fighter."

"Huh. Then wouldn't it be easier for someone to take your spot as Primera, then?"

"Potentially. I didn't say spirit energy has nothing to do with ability, it does help. Spiritual energy helps someone to become stronger, but if they don't work at it, all their energy gets wasted."

"That's interesting..." Shakars stood up and stretched her back. "How about we practice combat?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Train with Dingo. He's strong as well."

* * *

Ulquiorra and a young-looking Arrancar with a dagger were guarding the rear exit. "So..." Said the other guy.

The Cuarto looked over to him for a second then turned back to the desert behind Las Noches.

"If you have something to say, then say it." Ulquiorra told him.

"Uh... it wasn't important..." _This guy is impossible to talk to..._ Severiano Fuente thought to himself. _This is gonna be a long shift..._

"Then why bother?"

"... I don't know, sir."

"I don't understand you."

 _I don't understand YOU!_ However, he didn't dare say it out loud.

* * *

Loly had a makeshift board game out of rocks and sticks, and she had just finished teaching Matthias how to play chess.

Solomon was leaning against the wall with his glaive in his lap. Menoly was lying on the bed, asleep.

"So what did you do in your free time?" Loly asked Matthias. Both of them had around half their playing field leveled.

"Nothing. I had no free time."

"What... that had to be boring as hell."

"I was almost always intoxicated with some form of drug, administered by a Soul Reaper with a white visor and dark skin. I don't remember feeling bored ever."

"That's weird." She said as she thought of her next move. "I can't really relate to that. All I had was free time, really. Life was pretty easy, before and during Aizen's rule."

"You speak highly of this Aizen. Who is he?"

"He's a Soul Reaper who came to Hueco Mundo, because he needed more numbers to challenge to Soul Society."

"And the Soul Society is the land of the Soul Reapers?"

"Yes."

"I suppose he is fine, then. The dark skinned Reaper and a grinning one are the only Soul Reapers I've ever meet, and both of them tortured and experimented on me. As long as Aizen has nothing to do with the other Soul Reapers, then he is fine with me."

She didn't have the heart to tell him that Ichimaru and Tosen worked for Aizen.

"Check." He said.

"What? How didn't I notice that!"

"Someone's coming." Solomon said. "Disguising his spiritual energy. However, I can still feel it."

"You couldn't, Matthias?" Loly asked.

He shook his head. "I'm a combat type, not an energy type. Sensing spirit energy comes hard for me."

"If you're a combat type, maybe you should have served under Baraggan or Harribel."

"Loly saved me. I serve her and her alone. However, I owe you as well for allowing us to work with you. So I will protect your home with my life." He grabbed his Nodachi and stood up. "This Arrancar won't get anywhere near your house, I promise that."

* * *

Soon, Lurk appeared. She had a Xiphos, a straight, one-handed Greek weapon and a buckler- a small European shield around the size of a dinner plate.

"I hoped to get you by surprise." She admitted. "However, I will fair well against you in combat."

Red energy boomed off of Matthias as he drew his sword. "Leave or die. Those are your only options."

"Or I can kill you all and bring your heads to Baraggan."

"Go ahead and try."

She drew her sword and gripped her buckler in her off hand. Matthias easily had at least a foot longer reach than her if they were unarmed. Her blade was around twenty four inches, and his was around thirty five inches. He could get more power in his attacks, due to having two hands on his weapon.

The only advantage Cirilli had was the fact that she was faster than this man. She had no definiative way to prove that yet, but she was faster than most warriors she encountered. This was because she sacrificed strength for speed. The big man in front of her was likely strong but slow. If he hit her once she'd be a goner, but he'd leave himself wide open when he slashed.

"Well?" Matthias asked. "Aren't you going to kill me?"

"Die." She stabbed at him, but he effortlessly swatted her sword away and slashed down at her. She blocked with her buckler, but the impact still shock her arm straight to the bone and up into her shoulder muscles.

He opened his mouth and shot a crimson Cero from his maw, directly at Cirilli. Had it been a Bala, she wouldn't have enough time to dodge. But being as it was a Cero, she had plenty of time. She Sonido'd out of the way and stabbed up at his back.

A long tail smacked her in the side of the head, knocking her to the ground.

 _He's got a tail...?_ She thought.

At that point, Loly and Menoly went outside to watch. "I thought his energy was blue...?" Menoly asked.

"I did too. It was when he fought Grimmjow, I remember it vividly."

* * *

Speaking the Sexta Espada, he sensed that a battle was going on. He immediately went to tell Harribel. But stopped.

 _I know exactly what she'll say. If it isn't our fight, we should stay out of it. But this could easily get to Las Noches and cause problems for us. I could go there, kill them both, and come back and she wouldn't know. Who am I kidding, she probably already knows they're out. By going out, I'm going to get myself in trouble and I don't want to deal with that annoying brat again._

* * *

Around the battle field, several small Ayon clones stood a distance far enough away from them they could observe the fight without being noticed. The Tres Bestias were taking advantage of the fact that most fighters will be concentrating on their opponent, and not on their surroundings.

Lurk rose to her feet after getting blindsided by the tail. She pointed her sword at him and slowly began to approach him. Matthias slashed down at her. She leapt to the side then shot in toward him with a stab.

Suddenly he let go of his Nodachi with his right hand and grabbed her wrist. He began to charge up another cero in his mouth, then he threw her as far as he could into the air. As she was flying the cero flew right at her.

 _No time to dodge._ She thought. So she used a bala in each hand and one in her mouth in an effort to defuse the attack. It worked, but only barely. She landed on her back in the sand. _At this rate, I won't be able to fight this warrior, or the other warrior Baraggan mentioned. I'll need back-up._

"Finish her off." Loly ordered.

"As you wish." He walked toward her.

"No." Solomon said. "She's done fighting. There's no reason for us to put her down."

Loly turned and glared at him. She considered his words. "Fine. Don't kill her."

He nodded.

Solomon suddenly Sonido'd over to one of the Ayon clones and lifted it up. "It would seem someone wanted to watch your fight." He dropped it to the ground and slashed it in half with his polearm. He chased the other clones away, killing only one more.

In the mean time, Lurk Sonido'd back to Baraggan's forces.

"So you failed." Baraggan said. "I can still feel both their spiritual energies. Which means you didn't kill either of them. Did you at least kill the girls?"

"No. I was over powered too swiftly. I couldn't get a single attack in on that man. He had too much range on me. Our spiritual energy levels were around similar, so should I battle him again I might win. However, I need someone that can fight the other Arrancar. I cannot take them both out."

"How incompetent. However, I didn't even expect you to come back alive, so I suppose I will offer you a position as a member of my forces. Ichimaru."

"Hmm?" Asked the Soul Reaper.

"Choose someone that can go with her."

"Yes, sir, Lord Baraggan."

"Do I sense sarcasm in your voice, Soul Reaper?"

"Sarcasm? I would never!" Ichimaru's grin didn't waver.

"You test my patience. The only reason why I haven't killed you yet is because you're a powerful person."

"Oh, I'm very thankful for that, sir. Please don't kill me, that would be very bad for my health."

Notes: I am still open to whatever suggestions you guys might have for the plot. As the readers, your opinions matter to me.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The First Battle

Ichimaru was lying on his back, looking up at the dark sky, as they were aloft the fake one that Aizen put up. Baraggan had promised to destroy this as soon as it was no longer convenient to them. By that, he probably means sending some of his new subordinates to do that job.

With any luck, that'll never happen.

"Ichimaru."

He leaned up on his elbow, seeing the woman who was talking to Baraggan earlier. She was the one who lost to the powerful spirit energy not far from Las Noches. "What's up?"

"Tell me who you're going to send with me."

"I'm sorry, Gin Ichimaru isn't home right now. Please leave a message at the beep. Beeep."

"... I don't understand what that means."

"Yeah, you wouldn't, would you? It's a... never mind."

"Tell me who you're going to send."

"Hmm... how about... no."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Please explain further."

"Because I don't feel like it. Just take the first Arrancar you see."

"Ichimaru. Tell me who you want me to take with me."

"Oh, what are you gonna do about it if I say no again?"

"I'll have to kick your ass."

His grin broadened and his spiritual energy began to leak out around his body. His grin alone was enough to make it feel like a snake was wrapping around her throat. The spiritual energy added onto it made it seem like snakes were covering her entire body. "Go ahead." He told her.

She knelt to the ground. "Please, sir. Please allow me to take one of Baraggan's soldiers to fight the two Arrancar he wished for me to eliminate."

"That's more like it!" Ichimaru got into a sitting position, and ceased using his spiritual energy. "I assume you came back here with some news about them."

"I don't understand."

"Fighting style, weaknesses, and so on."

"The first man uses a Nodachi. He has a tail, and he is proficient with a Cero. One Cero of his is equal to three of my balas."

"And the other?"

"I did not see him fight. A thousand pardons."

"Come on, man! You only had one job!"

She bowed her head.

"Fine. You can strategize with him later. I can't send any of the strongest forces or Lord Baraggan will be furious with me. Most likely, any of the Espada are off limits. Which puts me in a bad position, because I have no idea of anyone else's abilities. However... based on pure spiritual energy alone... there is someone I have in mind."

"Who is it, sir?"

"I don't know his name. He has unkempt ebony hair, steel blue eyes, and wears a black gi. I don't recommend making him angry."

* * *

She walked around the canopy, until she eventually found a man who fit this description. He nodded to her. "Do you require my presence to fight these two?"

"I do."

He bowed to her. "Lead the way."

 _Is this man really the one that Ichimaru recommended?_ Lurk thought.

* * *

Nnoitra was sitting cross legged. "DAMN IT!" He shouted, pounding his fist into the ground. "Why the hell didn't Baraggan send me?"

"Perhaps he wanted to test the newcomers' abilities."

"Shut up, Tesla."

"Yes, sir."

"It's so damn boring up here! We might as well just attack them while they're training and get it over with! We're wasting so much time!"

"Lord Baraggan doesn't seem to be in a hurry."

"That's so stupid! The longer we wait, the stronger their forces will become!"

"Perhaps he's thinking the same of our forces."

"Whatever."

* * *

"We should strategize." Lurk said. "I will-"

"No need."

"Pardon?"

"As soon as I see the enemy, I suggest you step out of the way. I'll choose my target, then you go for the other guy. If you interfere, I might kill you."

"By mistake?"

"No."

"... You seem perfectly calm right now."

"Because I am. However, as soon as a battle starts I lose all forms of control. When I come to, all my opponents are dead and I don't remember anything. I only remember what people have told me. That I swiftly killed anything that got in my way. If you think that my spiritual energy is strong now, you should wait until you see me in battle. I hear it's one of the strongest there is."

"We'll just have to see."

* * *

The two made it to the place. Once again, Matthias was waiting for them.

"Tell me your name." The second Arrancar shouted to him. "As well as the names of your allies."

"Why?"

"So I can remember the names of the people I have killed."

Matthias crossed his arms. "I will not die here. However, I will tell you. My name is Matthias Iscariot. I work with Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia. We have recently joined forces with Perrault Solomon." He drew his Nodachi. "Now. Which of you is going to die?"

"I am..." He clenched his jaw and orange energy began to glow around him. "Sartino Juare..." Suddenly all the orange energy vanished and brown energy shot all around him. He blitzed towards the large Arrancar as he drew his sword and slashed at his head.

Matthias was only barely able to block it.

Lurk walked passed them and approached the house. As she got closer, the door opened. A massive man, covered from head to toe in hair, stepped from the door. He held a glaive in his hands. "Stay away from my house." Solomon growled.

Lurk jumped a few steps away from him and drew her sword and buckler.

Solomon pointed his weapon at her.

 _He's got greater range than I do. And not only that, a glaive takes much finesse to operate, not just strength. So he's likely very fast. Perhaps even faster than I am. I am better off trying to fight the other Arrancar._

Solomon leapt into the air, soaring down toward Cirilli Lurk. She quickly lifted her shield to protect her face and neck. However, she wasn't his true target. He kicked off of her shield and flew toward Sartino Juare.

Matthias dodged out of the way, and Solomon slashed his polearm at Sartino. The Arrancar dodged the attack and slashed Solomon hard across the leg.

Matthias slashed hard, slamming his opponent into the side of the head.

Sartino was sent flying away from them, landing in a heap of sand. Blood dripped from his temple. "RRRRAAAAAAAHHHHH!" He was immediately back on his feet, charging toward the two.

"That was a mighty slash." Solomon said. "It should have taken his head off. This guy is stronger than I expected. However, if we can cut him, we can beat him. Do you know anything about bull fighting, Matthias?"

At that point, Sartino blitzed toward them, slashing at Matthias. The large Arrancar leapt through the air and fired several bala at him, via his tail. Sartino tanked all of them with only minor injuries.

"Never heard of it." Matthias told him.

"That's a shame. I'll have to explain how to do it, then."

Lurk was creeping around from behind them. _If I can take one of them out from behind, Sartino can take the other out with his speed._ She thought.

"Not so fast!" Loly said. "That is my warrior out there, and you won't lay a hand on him while his back is turned!"

Menoly stepped out to her other side. "That's right. You won't get anywhere near Matthias."

"I'll make sure you die quickly." She told them, pointing her sword at Loly, who had a knife in her hand. They had quite a distance between the two. Nothing Lurk couldn't Sonido through, but there were two of them, they were on opposite sides of her- which presented a problem. She could take out the one, but not the other. They didn't seem to be all that strong, but being as there was two of them, they might be able to overwhelm her.

"Basically," Solomon said, as he dodged parried a slash from Sartino. "When he goes in for a charge attack-" Matthias kicked him hard in the back, forcing him forward. Solomon held his spear out to stab him in the neck, but he flew up into the air to avoid the attack. "-he can't slow down fast enough to change directions." Sartino soared down at Matthias, who shot a Cero at him. Sartino defused it with his own cero, at the cost of his free-fall speed.

Taking advantage of his slowing down, Matthias punched him hard in the stomach, sending him flying backward.

"So all we need to do is dodge him, then attack him while he's still charging forward. His momentum will keep him traveling in the same direction."

Matthias' eyes widened and his eyes light with anger. "Solomon. I will be back in a moment. That female Arrancar is threatening our companions."

He nodded. "I can handle this guy." _But can I?_ He second guessed, but didn't dare tell Matthias that. He knew Matthias had to do this, and his unconfidence shouldn't affect someone else's work.

Both of them dodged away from Sartino's next attack. However, Matthias took off to go help Loly and Menoly.

Sartino went to chase him, receiving a stab wound to his back as a result. _Damn it..._ Solomon thought. _Anyone else that would have went straight through their chests. This guy's powerful..._

Sartino spun around, a bala charged on each of his fingers. He smacked at the air and the balas flew at Solomon. The glaive-master leapt into the air, dodging most of them, but the one that came from his thumb collided with his shin.

Solomon roared as he slashed down at him. But Sartino blocked it with his sword.

Matthias charged at Lurk, sword drawn. Her eyes widened. She went to flee, but Matthias tackled her and snapped his jaw into her sword arm. Blood dripped to the ground and she screamed.

"Who the hell sent you? Was it Harribel? Baraggan?"

"Screw you." She smacked him in the head with her buckler, then shot a Cero into his chest. This created enough air between the two of them so she could fly away. _I'm not an idiot. I can't defeat that man... even though our spiritual powers are close in level and I'm faster, I won't be able to defeat him. Perhaps Sartino will kill them._

However, someone else showed up. Someone powerful. "That's enough." Said a stern voice.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Strategy

None other than the current leader of Hueco Mundo, Tier Harribel stood between Sartino and Solomon. "I care not which side of the war you are on. However, I will not have your battle threaten the lives of anyone who serves me. And the way this battle his headed, it could threaten someone I do not wish to die."

"That's the reason?" Solomon growled. "Because it could?"

"Yes."

Sartino charged at her, swinging his sword at her head. Harribel blocked the attack with her sword and water shot from her sword and into his mouth. He struggled and attempted to attack her, but in the end he fell to the ground unconscious. She pointed to Matthias and Lurk. "Take your ally and leave."

"Yes, ma'am." Lurk took her unconscious teammate and sonido'd away.

"I also want to keep the bloodshed to a minimum."

"How the hell can you say that when you're going to have a warrior?" Solomon shook his head. "Hypocrasy."

"I don't want to go to this war. Just like you didn't want this battle to happen but it did anyway, this war is inevitable."

"So that makes it okay? You just said that you don't like bloodshed."

"Tell me. Do you enjoy fighting, Arrancar?"

"No. If I did I would have joined up with one of you warhawks."

"Does it make it okay for you to fight, even if you don't want to?"

"It doesn't. But that's different."

"Different how? Because you say so?"

"Because my battles aren't about to kill a lot of people."

"What if Baraggan and all of his forces attack you? What are you going to do then? Are you going to fight back, or are you going to stand still and stick with these principles of your's?"

Solomon thought for a moment.

"Your logic is flawed, Perrault Solomon."

"How do you know my name?"

"I have a file on you. I know your name, where you life, and several of your abilities."

Not close enough for the Tercera to hear them, Loly whispered, "Matthias. I want you to attack her from behind."

He gripped his sword and Sonido'd behind her. He slashed at the back of her head, but she caught his sword. His eyes widened as she bombed him in the chest with a large mass of water. "And I also know you too, Matthias Iscariot, favored test subject of Sosuke Aizen."

"Sosuke Aizen...?" He asked.

Ignoring him, she pointed to Loly and Menoly. "Should you threaten me again, I will have to deal with you. It will not be pleasant for any of us."

Harribel turned and left.

* * *

When they all got back inside, Matthias asked Loly what she meant. "So the man you served is the one who tested on me?"

"I'm sure she was lying." Loly said.

"She was not. But you are." He growled.

"Just drop it, okay? Please?"

"No." His eyes focused. "Why should I serve you, if you served the man who experimented on me?"

"I don't serve Aizen anymore. I didn't even know that you existed while he was still alive."

Matthias relaxed. "Harribel knew my name. But I don't think she was involved in the testing."

"So what do you think it means?" Menoly asked him.

"I think it means that she was going to free me, but you got to me first. So I might have served her the way I served you."

Solomon was lying on his bed, looking at the ceiling while his conversation was happening. _She knew me. She could have wiped me off the face of the planet just as easily as she defeated Baraggan's solider and Matthias as well. So why didn't she? Is it because I don't pose an immediate threat? Even if she didn't give the order, I assume the Sexta Espada would have attacked me regardless. So she must have explicitly stated not to attack me._

He rolled onto his side. _But why? She doesn't seek to gain anything from my life, unless she wants to make me into a slave for her forces after she destroys Baraggan's side. Still. I cannot morally involve myself with this war, even if Harribel is sympathetic to me._

* * *

"Are they dead?" Baraggan asked Lurk, as she carried Sartino to his hideout.

"No. None of them are."

"You have failed again. Do you understand what that means?"

"Sir, Harribel attacked us. There wasn't anything we could have done. We would have won the fight, if she hadn't shown up."

"So, they joined up with Harribel after all?" He thought for a moment. "That would mean we can eliminate all of them in one fell swoop. You will reap no punishment for your second lose, but only because Harribel attacked you by surprise. Next time, there will be repercussions."

"Thank you, sir." She bowed to him. "If I may ask a question, sir?"

"Ask." He said, partially annoyed.

"What will happen if I lose again?"

"If you lose and come back alive... I will kill you myself. I will crush your tiny skull in the palm of my hand. It will be like snapping a twig."

* * *

"So, why didn't you kill them?" Grimmjow asked Harribel. The Sexta was leaned against a entrance doorway. "They're going to attack us eventually. It's only matter of time. It might be after we win this war. It might be during a battle. But you can bet your ass that they're going to attack us."

"You do not understand strategy, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. You may be a good fighter, but you are not a strategist. Which is why I do not consult with you when coming up with a strategy."

"Yeah, so what?"

"We haved acted favorable to them. Should we need their help, I hope they will think of us as an ally. Baraggan's forces are strong, yet act unfavorable to them. Should they join any side, it will be our's."

"No. They'll view your kindness as weakness."

"Once again, you know nothing of strategy."

"We'll just have to wait and see." She turned and walked into the building.

* * *

Inside the building, the Tres Bestias were writing a report. "I have witnessed each of their fighting styles first hand." Harribel said. "Matthias will do whatever Loly tells him. He swings his sword around like a large piece of metal, not a blade. He will use his Cero, Tail, and teeth to gain the upper hand in battle. Solomon will use tactics to overwhelm his opponent. He's smart. Loly and Menoly will attack from a distance."

"Sorry ask, ma'am, but why are you having us do these reports?" Apacchi asked. "I understand about having us do them on Baraggan's men, but why these guys?"

"In case some of us have to fight them. Put a code on them so Baraggan can't get his hands on them."

"Yes, milady." All three said in unison.

The three of them had a stack of papers that was nearly a foot high.

* * *

Baraggan had his forces sitting beneath him once again. "We will attack Harribel's fortress soon. There are going to be three forces. One lead by myself. One lead by Ichimaru. And one by Tosen. We will divide our Arrancar fleet into thirds, and a third will be from each party. I will have all of the hollows with me. Tosen and Ichimaru will attack from each side. Kill anyone insight. Destroy the entire building, if you have to."

"Sir, how will we divide our fleet?" Tosen asked.

"My team will have all of our hollows. I will also have Nnoitra Gilga, Sartino Juare, Rafael Vazquez, Paula Cloe, and Tesla Lindocruz. Ichimaru's fleet will have Pietro Massilo, Renzo Ledanaro, Priscila Espinoza, Zommari Rureaux, and Rico Nataniel. Tosen's armada will have Noe Aaron, Donn Cervanias, Zaffon Mariez, Cirilli Lurk, Aaroniero Arruruerie, and Yammy Llargo."

* * *

Coyote Starrk was standing alone in an empty part of the desert. He was so far away from Las Noches, it was merely a spec of dust on the horizon. There were not even the dead trees that grew through-out the desert. With any luck, he'd be able to intercept Baraggan here. If not, he'll have to Sonido him there.

He sensed a spirit energy coming from behind him. Not a threat. Someone he didn't really know, however, he knew they wouldn't try to attack him.

Rudbornn Chelute approached. "Primera Espada Coyote Starrk. Baraggan is planning an attack soon."

"I understand. Just tell Harribel's Fracciones to have their friend guide me to where they're going to run into me."

"Yes, sir." He said this and bowed, but he didn't leave.

"What?"

"Won't you need back up?"

"I'm not here to attack them. Nor am I even here to hold them back. I'm only going to take Baraggan out of the equation. He knows my strength. He knows that he won't be able to send his cannon fodder after me. So he'll fight me himself."

"Do you think you can defeat him?"

"I do. There is a reason why I'm the Primera and he's the Segunda."

"How are you going to counter his Resperia?"

"My spirit energy is going to be strong enough to counter it." He put his hand on Rudbornn's shoulder. "He won't be able to stop me. There is no way someone like him will be able to defeat someone like me."

"Lilynette Gingerback will be here soon." He vanished.

* * *

"So his plan is to divide and conquer?" Harribel confirmed.

"It would seem that way." Sung-Sun nodded.

"Fine. We will face him. After Starrk takes Baraggan, the main assault team will be weakened. Knowing him, he probably had his team the weakest, due to his strength. Our main forces will attack there, we will conquer them with numbers. Then several of our strongest Arrancar will face their flanks. Knowing this, I still want us to be cautious. If you can, take them out at a range. Destroy as many as you can. I do not want this war to last any longer than it has to."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Flower's Fight

Baraggan, now with his third of the army, approached Las Noches.

"How long of a walk is it?" Sartino asked his leader.

"Gettin' tired?" Nnoitra asked him. "It's still quite a ways. If you need, you can take a break, little baby."

"I'm not tired. The longer we walk, the longer Harribel's forces has to notice us."

Suddenly, an enormous burst of spiritual energy shot through the sky. Everyone stopped. Then they felt it.

"What the hell... is that?" Asked Rafael, a man in a crimson jacket and shaved head. "Is that even an Arrancar... or something stronger?"

"It is. That is the Primera Espada. Coyote Starrk." Baraggan said. "He's letting us know that he's aware of where we are. By the feeling of his spiritual energy, he's already in his resurreccion."

"What's the plan?" Paula asked him.

"We go around."

* * *

Starrk sensed all of their spiritual energies diverting their paths. So he followed them and released another massive amount of spiritual energy. The first wasn't on purpose. As soon as he uttered his release command all of the sealing techniques he used crumbed under his power and his energy sky rocketed. This time, however, it was on purpose.

* * *

"He did it again..." Paula mumbled. "He's telling us that it's no use trying to avoid him. He's going to follow us until we have to fight him."

"Should we split the forces?" Nnoitra asked him.

"No. That's exactly what he would want us to do. We go straight ahead." The group started walking forward. But before they got very far at all, a blue wolf charged at them. "Everyone move!" Baraggan shouted.

The wolf snapped Nnoitra in the ankle and exploded. Everyone scattered, taking off to avoid another blast. Taking advantage of the chaos he created, Starrk Sonido'd in and grabbed Baraggan by the shoulder and vanished.

Nnoitra roared in anger. "Damn that bastard Starrk! Hope Baraggan doesn't kill him so I can get the finishing blow!"

"Come on. We need to keep going." Tesla, Nnoitra's Fraccion, told him.

* * *

Starrk pointed a pistol at him. _Unlike during the war, I can use my wolves in conjunction with my pistols._ He thought to himself. _I've never tried to do it until now, but that gives me a huge advantage._

"Stand down, Baraggan. This isn't too late."

"The moment you sided with Harribel it was too late."

Starrk didn't respond.

"Why would you let her control you like a dog? Are you really that weak minded? You have the power to destroy her. So why would you let her take control?"

"Actually, it was my suggestion that she became the leader."

"Why?"

"Because she's more suited to being a leader than I."

"You are stronger than her!"

"Power does not determine one's skill to lead. Back in Karakura, I allowed you to take the reigns, remember? Because you can command a force better than I."

"Enough taking. Rot. And Die. Arrogante." Crimson energy generated all around the Segunda. Starrk didn't flinch. When the energy dissipated, Baraggan's head was now a skull and he had a crown aloft his head. He was now wearing a purple cloak with a black fur collar.

Black energy floated toward Starrk, who Sonido'd to the side. He pointed his gun and he pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. "Lilynette. This isn't time to screw around!" He sonido'd away from another attack. "Lilynette! Talk to me!"

"I told you didn't I...? When we came back to life, I told you that I never wanted to fight again. And you told me that you would make sure that it never happens. But here we are."

"Things changed. If we don't fight Baraggan, we're going to die, Lilynette." He avoided another attack.

"You can't beat me by avoiding me." Baraggan told him.

"That's not it! You signed up for this part of the battle without ever asking me! You're lucky I even showed up at all!"

"Lilynette, listen to me. I told you that you wouldn't have to fight ever again. That was a situational promise. Let me ask you something. Do you believe in Harribel's cause?"

"Of course I do."

"Then does that mean you would be okay with letting her die because we didn't help me?"

Lilynette didn't have a response. The Primera dodged another attack.

"Who would have fought Baraggan if not us?" No response. "Who, Lilynette?"

"I don't know!"

"Maybe I should have asked you about this. But you also should have told me that you weren't on board with this plan. Or you maybe you shouldn't have came out here today. I assumed because we came from the same soul, you understood where I was coming from. I underestimated that." He dodged another attack. "I can dodge these attacks all day. But I won't be able to get anywhere without your help. If we don't fight back, eventually he'll kill us. Is that what you want?"

Lilynette didn't say anything. Instead, she fired five shots at Baraggan. Each one vanished before it hit the Segunda.

"Now then. It's time for us to start fighting seriously." Starrk told him.

* * *

Nelliel, in her small form, was preparing for battle.

"Nel, in this form, you can't stand up to any of Baraggan's forces." Pesche said. "Your best bet is to stay here."

"No. If everyone else is risking their lives, the Tercera Espada can do the same."

"The former Tercera." Dondochakka reminded her. "You don't have the powers that you once had. If you could withstand to be in your adult form for long periods of time, then that would be a different story. But as of right now... you'd only get in the way."

"That's right. If you go out there, everyone would trip over themselves trying to protect you." Pesche's eyes focused beneath his mask. "Listen to me. Stay here."

It occurred to Nel that they were no longer joking around the way they normally did. The were deadly serious.

* * *

"This is stupid. Why the hell are we protecting people who don't even like us?" A young Arrancar woman named Shakaras said.

Mosqueda, the last of the Privaron Espada, shook his head. "I don't know. But orders are orders."

The two were standing in front of Solomon's house, weapons drawn.

"I say we attack them from behind!" Loly shouted.

"No, they'll sense our spiritual energies. They haven't done anything aggressive toward us yet." Solomon said. "We just have to be patient and watch them."

* * *

Ichimaru's fleet reached their destination first. He faded to the back of the group. "You guys can handle the grunt work."

"Lazy asshole." Someone mumbled.

Standing at the gate, was Rudbornn Chelute, aloft a large tower. "My Calaveras will defeat you. No matter how strong your fleet is, we will over power you with numbers." Countless Arrancar in white with skulls over their faces stood around the area. All drew their swords and charged at Ichimaru's fleet.

"ATTACK!" Zommari ordered. "Do not let them gain any ground!"

* * *

Not long after, Tosen's fleet arrived. Harribel, the Tres Bestias, and Wonderweiss waited at the gate.

Tosen held out his hand in front of them. Ordering them to stop. He stepped forward. "How ironic. Wonderweiss, the one who I thought was so much like me, decided to side with the wrong side. Should he want to free Sosuke Aizen, he would have sided with Baraggan."

"Baraggan has no interest in breaking Aizen from his prison." Harribel said that. "Wonderweiss was simply smart enough to see through his lies. You were not."

"Or maybe he was naive enough to fall for your lies."

"Baraggan Louisenbarin has never liked Sosuke Aizen. Tell me. Why would he change his mind now? Even if Aizen bestowed upon him the gift of a second life, he would still not forgive him for taking of Hueco Mundo, and building this castle."

"I do not care. He says that he will free Sosuke Aizen, and that is enough for me to sleep with a clear conscious. I would not willingly serve you, if you do not even say you will do such. Now. Send the boy on his way, and we will begin fighting."

"Why? Afraid to harm a child?"

"We all know that Wonderweiss' abilities were only to counter Genryusai Yamamoto's. He is useless without someone with a fire Zanpakuto around. Should I follow the path of least bloodshed, I wish to leave him alive."

* * *

By the time Baraggan's forces finally reached the front steps, a group of several Arrancar greeted them- headed by Grimmjow, who had a savage grin on his face. "I'll show you why I'm stronger than you, Nnoitra!"

Nnoitra grinned. "I'd like to see you try, Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez! You won't stand a chance!"

"Stay out of this." Grimmjow told his allies.

"Keep out of this fight, or I'll blow your head off!" Nnoitra shouted to the other Arrancar who served Baraggan.

Grimmjow stepped forward casually. "You're going to pay for attacking me from behind like a coward."

"Coward? Taking every chance I can get is not cowardly, it's the smart thing to do! Maybe you're just too stupid to understand that!"

"No. You knew that you wouldn't stand a chance against me in a real fight. So you decided to attack me while I was exhausted and my guard was down."

* * *

Notes: Thanks once again for your review, Hallow, it's nice to see you back. Yes, I cannot extend the story forever with minor skirmishes. However, a war doesn't start in a day. There's usually smaller battles that lead up to the large scaled ones. And I was worried about ending it too quickly so I did include quite a bit of "character development, plans, reveals, and build-up" right up until I was getting bored writing it.

I don't want to do anything with the Quincy. And initially I didn't want to do anything with Soul Reapers either, however, I think I've changed my mind about that. I may include another arc after the war that brings in the Soul Reapers, if I still have interest in writing that arc after I finish the current one.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: La Sexta (the sixth) Versus el Quinto (the fifth)

Grimmjow grinned and launched himself at the Arrancar who was one rank above him. Nnoitra swung his weapon at him. Grimmjow leapt over the attack and kicked him hard in the nose. The Sexta leapt off of him and jumped to the ground behind him. He slashed Nnoitra across the back.

No blood. Not a single drop. Not even a wound.

"My hierro is stronger than your spirit energy!" Nnoitra growled as he swung his axe at him. Grimmjow blocked the attack, then pushed against his the blade.

Tesla attempted to attack Grimmjow from behind, but gunshots roared through the air. Dingo grinned and walked forward, Chicago Type Writer in hand. "That's not happening, my man." Dingo told him.

"Is that so?" Tesla asked. "Are you going to stop me?"

"I am. And I'll stop the rest of your fleet, too."

"You don't need to help me." Grimmjow told him.

"I know. I came here because I wanted to. As did he."

"He?" Sartino asked.

Suddenly green energy started raining from the sky. Everyone looked up to see Segunda Etapa Ulquiorra Cifer flying down from the sky.

"Oh... shit..." Sartino mumbled. Spiritual energy colored orange blossomed around his body. Without warning it transformed into brown and he flew at Ulquiorra, roaring like a madman.

Before the Espada could even see him, he wrapped his tail around his neck and threw him down into the air. Black and green cero glowed at his fingertips, and it flew into the horde of hollows.

Sartino, rising back to his feet, flew right back at Ulquiorra. The Espada landed on the ground, and waited for Sartino to grow nearer. Right before he was in attacking range, Ulqiorra seemed to vanish. Then he was behind Sartino, sending a Cero straight through his shoulder.

"Grimmjow. Dingo and I will handle everyone else. You fight Nnoitra. Should you need help, I will defeat him for you."

"I'll die before I ask for your help, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow leapt away from another swip from his attacker. "However... I'm grateful that you're gonna hold off everyone else. Once I kill this guy, I'll help you."

"Do you think killing me will be that easy, Jaegerjaquez?" Nnoitra growled. "You're over confident. Any Arrancar with a rank beneath five is trash. That's a fact."

"Oh yeah? Then I guess I'll be taking your rank, then."

"YOU IDIOT! How do you expect to defeat me? Aizen himself said that I was stronger than you!"

"Dumbass. Aizen said that your spirit energy was higher than mine. But I'll show you why I'm stronger!" Grimmjow drew his sword and ran his fingers along the blade. He tossed the blade into the air.

He held out his hand and an electric blue cero glowed in his hand. "Gran Rey Cero!" Grimmjow called. The cero expanded, to be nearly twice as wide as Grimmjow's body. It flew at Nnoitra, whose eyes widened.

"This is stupid..." Nnoitra complained as the smoke was beginning to clear. "If that's all you've got, then pack up your bags and leave. Because that attack didn't do anything to me." Finally, the smoke cleared, revealing Nnoitra Gilga, the Quinto Espada, covered in burn marks, left by the Sexta Espada.

Majority of Nnoitra's jacket was missing, as well as several smaller holes in his pants. "Is that right?" Grimmjow asked. "You look like shit to me."

"We'll see how much longer you'll talk like that... Pray! Santa Teresa!"

* * *

Starrk leapt away from Baraggan.

"I thought you said you were fighting seriously?" Baraggan asked. "This is pathetic. There is no way you should have been named Primera Espada."

Starrk held up his gun and small balls of azure spiritual energy glowed around the gun. "Cero. Metralleta." Thousands of Ceros flew toward Baraggan at an insane speed.

The Segunda Espada Sonido'd away, but not fast enough. Starrk was faster. He quickly spun, right toward him, and continued his assault.

Baraggan's Respira ate away at the ceroes. However, they were getting closer and closer to him. He wouldn't be able to fight Starrk forever.

"DAMN IT!" Baraggan shouted, Sonido-ing behind Starrk, grabbing at his shoulder. However, the Primera was no longer there, and quite a distance away from him and blasted into his back.

Baraggan flew straight up into the air. Starrk ceased firing. Three wolves flew at him.

"DAMN IT!" Baraggan shouted. "How can someone as weak as you pummel my Respira?"

The wolves lunged at him. The first two vanished at a safe range. The third exploded, causing Baraggan to fly away. Now the Segunda had a crack on his skull. Starrk was suddenly directly in front of him. Baraggan tried to stop, but before he could slow his momentum Starrk shot him in the base of the skull.

Right as the cero collided with his bone, it immediately aged and vanished.

"You will pay dearly for that."

"What happened to the Baraggan who said I was too pathetic to be the Primera?" Starrk asked. "Now you're quivering in your boots. What did you ask me a minute ago? How could I pummel your Respira? Do you want to know the answer to that?" He waited, but only for half a second. "Because you're weaker than us. Your ability is powerful, but it's more of a nuisance than anything. We're faster than you. And our attacks are fast enough to where your Respira can't keep up."

"YEAH, DUMBASS!" Lilynette shouted from her gun form. "You can't beat us!"

"You're an ant I will crush under my boot!" Baraggan roared.

"If we're an ant, then you're a flea." Lilynette told him. "There's no way someone like you can compair to someone like us! Aizen was a fool for making you the Segunda Espada!"

"I'LL CRUSH YOU LIKE THE ANT YOU ARE!"

* * *

Tosen and Harribel traded slashes. /Something's off about his movements. They aren't as quick as they usually are. He's... slower./ She thought. Harribel forced Tosen into a wall and slashed at his head. "Your arrogance vexes me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You think you can defeat me while holding back."

"I am not holding back." Tosen said. "I simply haven't released my Zanpakuto. And you will regret it when I do."

"That's not it." Harribel said. "That's not it and you know it."

 _Tosen was previously fast enough to slash Grimmjow's arm off then destroy it with a Kido spell. This Tosen is far too slow for that. What has changed? He doesn't seem to realize that he's slower._

She watched him closely as the two continued to go back and forth. Her blade came only inches from his face, and something behind the visor caught her eye. His eyes fluttered. Something a blind man would not do. Which means he gained the ability of sight.*

* * *

Now with more arms, Nnoitra was proving to be quite troublesome for unreleased Grimmjow. The Sexta deflected, blocked, and dodged blow after blow, but he didn't have enough time to use anything stronger than a bala, he couldn't get close enough to him to slash him, and he couldn't get far enough away to use his Resurreccion.

Not far from them, Dingo was battling Tesla while Ulquiorra was dealing with everyone else. Tesla was in his released form- a giant boar man. Tesla grabbed Dingo and threw him.

Dingo pivoted in the air and slammed into Nnoitra, pushing both into a wall. Instead of getting up, Dingo shot him in the face with his gun and leapt away.

"GRIND! PANTERA!" Grimmjow roared. Now taking the form of a panther man, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez faced off against Nnoitra. "I didn't need your help, Dingo."

"What're ya talking about? I didn't help you. That big dumb idiot threw me in here. And I only shot him to keep him from attacking me."

"I saw the throw. There's no way he would have come anywhere near Nnoitra with that."

"I must've spun in the air, trying to compensate for being thrown. I don't recall, though."

"Whatever. You fight him, I'll fight this guy."

"With pleasure." Dingo walked back over to Tesla, who was charging a Cero at him. Dingo's bullets tore small holes in Tesla's legs, causing his cero to become unstable and explode right in his face.

The young gunman flew into the air and kicked the giant in the head, knocking him on his back in the sand. He floated back down to the ground, pointing the gun directly at his head. He held down the trigger.

"TESLA!" Nnoitra shouted. "You'll pay for that, you bastard!"

"No he won't." Grimmjow said. "You have to fight me!"

Nnoitra swung his blades at him, but Grimmjow blocked with his elbow and sent several small black objects flying at him. Each one found their target and Grimmjow jumped away. Nnoitra screamed in pain as all of them detonated simultaneously.

"Damn... you... Grimmjow...!"

"A Hierro can't defend well against explosions or that magic that the Soul Reapers use."

"How the hell could you know that? You got defeated by that human before you saw any "magic that the Soul Reapers use". Meaning there's no way you would have known about that."

"Something that I assumed. Being as it's not a physical attack, I figured Kido would work well against a strong Hierro. As well as explosions being fire, impact, and shrapnel damage rather than just impact."

* * *

Notes: *You may think this is weird, odd, or even stupid. However, at the state when Tosen could see. Which was the only reason why Shuhei could kill him. Further more, Aizen brought them back to the point where they were just before they died. Giving Tosen the ability to see. And being as he sees rather than constantly using his spiritual energy, his reaction time is dulled.

Also, I foreshadowed this quite a while ago. In the second or third episode, I referred to a "formerly blind" Soul Reaper who was stabbed in the neck by Shuhei. Take note of the part where I said formerly.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Calaveras

Solomon was sitting on the floor outside of his house. He was starring intently at the two Arrancar who were standing outside. _Why would Harribel send these men to protect us? It makes no sense..._ He thought. _Depleting her forces to protect someone who doesn't even help them? That's not something a tactician should have done._

He was taken out of his thoughts by Loly slapping her hands on the table. "I'm sick of this! I'm not going to be under house arrest because of someone else's squabbles! Matthias. Kill them."

Matthias silently grabbed his Nodachi and approached the door. Solomon stood up, blocking his path.

"Please move." Matthias said.

"No. These men have done nothing wrong."

"They're keeping us prisoner!" Loly shouted.

"You're jumping to conclusions." Solomon told her. "You never attempted to leave, did you? Which means you don't know for sure."

"It doesn't matter! Matthias! Get him out of your way!"

"I owe you for allowing us to stay at your house. But I owe Loly more."

Solomon smirked. "It's a shame, really. I thought you were civilized people. However, you're no better than Baraggan. Killing whoever you want, simply because they're a minor inconvenience." He gripped his glaive and swung it at the air. Matthias took an unneeded step back. "And you're just as bad as them. Are you a dog, Matthias? Do you do whatever your master orders without question? And for what? Maybe she might scratch your ear?" He swung the glaive again.

* * *

"You are fast, Zommari." Rudbornn said. "But there is no way that someone like you can defeat me. My Calaveras cannot be defeated by someone who is only fast, or only strong. You need to be fast, strong, and smart to defeat me. But all of you are fools. Not one person here has an IQ out of the single digit numbers."

"Everyone attack at once!" Zommari ordered. "He's bluffing!"

"Fool." Rudbornn said. "You don't deserve to be a member of the Espada."

"You'll come to regret that statement!"

Zommari slapped his hands together. "Quell... Brujeria!"

* * *

Grimmjow and Nnoitra exchanged blows. Blood was beginning to flow on both of them. Grimmjow roared and charged. He flew at Nnoitra with a kick, who blocked it with all of his blades. Grimmjow then shot forward and palmed him in the eye with a small object.

Nnoitra vanished. "Bastard!"

"Caja Negacion." Grimmjow said. "Under normal circumstances, I would have killed you right here. But I don't have time for that right now."

* * *

Harribel forced Tosen into a corner and water slammed into him from the sides. The Soul Reaper's eyes widened.

"If I have to spell it out for you... you should have seen that attack coming. Your weaker than you were before you died, Kaname Tosen. There is no way that you can win this bout. Take your troops and leave if you want to live."

"I will not." Tosen stated calmly. "I will defeat you, Tier Harribel. For the will of Lord Aizen."

"People don't just suddenly change their minds on something. Nothing would have happened that was drastic enough that would have had enough impact on him to change his mind. Remember. Sosuke Aizen was the one who killed Baraggan and he watched you die without lifting a finger. Yet you blindly serve him? How foolish."

"I will never be blind again!" The Soul Reaper slashed down at him, forcing her to block. The two exchanged slashes, once again, with Harribel taking the advantage.

"What are we waiting for? Our leader's getting his ass kicked!" Zaffon Mariez shouted. "We need to go in there and help him!"

He went to step forward, but suddenly a massive wall of small men, only around a foot tall each, formed and stood on each other's shoulders, preventing any of them from passing.

"When we were training with Rudbornn, we decided that this would be a good strategy." Apacchi said. "Good idea, huh?"

* * *

Starrk landed on the ground, next to Baraggan. Who reached out and grabbed Starrk's leg. "I won't die here, Coyote. But you will."

Baraggan's purple energy began to eat away at his clothes. Instinctively he started blasting away at the man, who had no real defense against his attacks. Then blue energy boomed all around him, preventing Baraggan's Respira from hurting him, and sending the Espada flying.

Starrk groaned, trying to suppress the energy. "Lilynette..." He croaked.

"I don't know what's going on either!" She shouted from the gun form. "I'm trying to suppress it but all this energy just came out of no where!"

Baraggan attempted to attack Starrk, who shot at him. No bullet came, but it didn't click the way it did earlier. It was as though the massive boost in spiritual energy was bottlenecking his gun.

"What... the hell..." Baraggan mumbled.

* * *

Notes: I hope the short chapter is fine. If not, sue me. I'm not going to extend a chapter for no reason other than reaching a length quota.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Man Without Limit

Grimmjow licked his lips. "How many did you kill, Ulquiorra?" He asked.

"Just one."

"Harribel gave strict orders! She said not to kill anyone! Why the hell can you go ahead and kill someone and not me? If it were me, she'd probably have my head."

Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Dingo were keeping Baraggan's forces at bay. Baraggan's fleet was making no progress. The three were effortlessly holding them back.

"DAMN IT! We're not getting anywhere because of these asshats!" Rafael growled. "There's nothing left to do but retreat! We can't risk anyone else get killed!"

"What of my master?" Tesla asked.

"What about him? He'll come back from the Negacion sooner or later. Then we'll have to hope that he's smart enough to Sonido back to our hideout."

"Why the hell do you decide when we retreat?" Paula asked.

"Because I'm the strongest one here! You gotta problem with that, girl?"

"No problem, sir." She grumbled.

"Good. Then let's get out of here." The Arrancar were beginning to flee.

"And don't come back!" Dingo shouted, shooting at their backs. "We should go and help someone else. We can either go to Harribel's side or to Rudbornn's."

* * *

Solomon gripped his polearm with both hands, pointing it at Matthias. "So, Matthias. Do you make your own decisions, or do you follow your master's orders like a dog?"

"Don't listen to him! You can take him!" Loly said.

"Loly." Menoly said.

"What?" Her friend growled, whirling to face her.

Menoly grimaced, but held her ground. "If Matthias fights Solomon, those other two Arrancar are going to back him up. He... he isn't strong enough to face all three. You need to call him off if you want him to live."

Loly clenched her jaw. "Damn it!"

Matthias slowly drew his Nodachi.

"Oh, is that it? You're a dog, then?" Solomon looked extremely disappointed. "Fine."

"I'm not a dog." Matthias told him. "I'm taking orders from her because I owe her."

"Oh, is that right?" Solomon said. "So because you owe her, you'll throw down your life for a cause that you don't even believe in?"

"Matthias, stop." Loly said. "I revoke my order."

Matthias sheathed his sword.

"I'm never coming back here. You idiots can stay here, I don't care." Solomon put his weapon on his back. He turned and began to leave. "If I see you on the battlefield, I'm not going to hold back."

* * *

Rudbornn was continuing to attack and defeat Ichimaru's fleet. The Soul Reaper in charge stood in the back, avoiding the conflict.

Several Arrancar launched Cero at the base of Rudbornn's tree. His Calaveras quickly blocked the attack. And he swiftly received a sword to the chest. By one of his own men.

"What... the hell...?" The Calaveras vanished, and the tree beneath Rudbornn collapsed.

Zommari looked up at him. "I used my Resurreccion to control one of your warriors. Flaunting my abilities to control things is what made me lose to a Soul Reaper. Your Calaveras' movements were predictable, Rudbornn. All I had to do was have the one I was controlling copy everyone else. You didn't notice the half second delay between his actions and everyone else's. This is the difference between the Espada and everyone else. We learn from our mistakes."

Zommari placed his hands on either side of Rudbornn's head and charged up a bala. Rudbornn, powerless to stop him after getting stabbed in the chest, stood there. A headless body hit the floor.

"Was the really necessary?" Ichimaru asked.

* * *

More energy was booming around Coyote Starrk's body. "DAMN!" He cried out. "I can't suppress it! I'll have to..." Suddenly countless wolves appeared around him, running in opposite directions and exploding. Baraggan flew into the air, dodging the wolves, who weren't even trying to attack him.

Sweat was beginning to form on his forehead and he was beginning to feel sick to his stomach.

"This is... the power of the Primera Espada? He's this much more powerful than I am? Being this close to him makes me, the Segunda, feel sick. Does he have no limit to how much spiritual energy he has?" Baraggan mumbled to himself in horror.

* * *

Notes: To Hallow, The Caja Negacion, at least the way that I understand it, has to be entered into their hollow hole. Hence why Grimmjow hit Ulquiorra in the chest with it in canon, and hence why Grimmjow hit Nnoitra in the eye with it in this story.

I suppose though, someone smart like Granz could easily change it up to work on anyone.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Sky ( _ **Important Update at the Bottom!**_ )

Azure energy boomed around Starrk. He sky rocketed upward. He gritted his teeth as he shot a hole right in the fake, light blue sky.

The Segunda Espada watched in astonishment as a massive chunk of the sky exploded. Large chunks of debris flew in every which way.

* * *

Harribel, in the midst of her battle with Tosen, suddenly froze. Her eyes widened with terror. Rudbornn's spiritual energy faded to nothing. One of her forces was dead. This had to end now.

"What's the problem, Empress?" Tosen asked, swinging his blade at her head. "You seem out of sorts."

The blade came within an inch of the Espada's head before she reached up and blocked it with her forearm.

Tosen starred up at her, with a defiant look in his eyes. "Even if I can't cut you... I will still defeat you!"

An explosion erupted over head. Starrk's spiritual energy was rising at an alarming rate.

"What the hell is that?" Tosen asked, mostly to himself.

A blue wolf ran in. It stopped in front of Tosen. "Retreat or die." It said simply, before it ran off and exploded.

Many more wolves careened through the hallway, all running passed them.

Each wolf would stop at every member of Baraggan's fleet, and told them the same message. "Retreat or die."

* * *

Baraggan himself got the same message.

The Segunda considered the message. He Sonido'd to Ichimaru's company, where they were just about to storm further into Las Noches.

Immediately Zommari bowed to him. "What would you like, my lord?"

"I'm calling a retreat. Zommari. Go to each group and tell them that we must retreat. But we cannot-" He stopped as debris flew down at him. The debris immediately vanished before touching him. "-return to our spot in the sky. So we will need a new hiding place. Have everyone follow my spiritual energy, there I will decide where we will stay."

"Yes, sir." He vanished.

Harribel went outside, watching as the debris fell. Many wolves were flying, and even more were coming through the new openings in the sky.

"Whoa..." Apacchi mumbled, gawking as the wolves would explode, destroying any debris that would come close to hitting any of Harribel's forces, or Las Noches itself.

* * *

Dingo was spraying bullets all around the battlefield, preventing the enemy forces from gaining any ground. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow proceeded to advance from the sides, forcing Baraggan's soldiers to back away. Although they were backing away, they weren't running, and they continued to fire Ceros, Balas, and so on at them.

They ignored the message from the wolf, continuing their assault. But Zommari showed up, and all of them suddenly retreated.

Dingo stepped toward them and started firing at their backs. But Ulquiorra Sonido'd right in front of him and put his hand on the barrel of the gun. "No. Let them retreat."

"Why? They'll just attack us again."

"These are our orders."

Dingo lowered his Chicago Organ Grinder after considering what Ulquiorra told him.

* * *

The fake sky was almost completely annihilated overhead. Coyote's wolves stopped exploding.

"What the hell was that about?" Apacchi asked.

"He lost control of his spiritual energy." Sung-Sun guessed. "The Primera Espada has always had an enormous amount of it. But he kept it bottled up. And now it's exploding out, like a carbonated beverage."

"Coyote and I can't return for a while." A wolf told them. "He can't risk something like this happening again, so we're going to train in the sky, where no one else can get hurt. Sorry, Harribel." The wolf quickly vanished.

"Rudborrn is dead." Harribel told him. "We will have a proper burial for him."

"What if Baraggan's forces attack? We won't have Starrk to defend us, and we'll be preoccupied with his burial to detect them." Mila Rose told him.

"You may consider Baraggan a monster, but he does have honor. He will not be so honorless as to attack while we mourn the dead. But if he is..." She shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid there will be no stopping my wrath."

* * *

"So." Baraggan said. "Sartino is dead."

"He is." Tesla confirmed.

"And Nnoitra?"

"Alive. Only trapped inside of a Caja Negacion."

"We will have to see if Sartino comes back to life." Baragggan said. "If not... you will have to be more careful."

"Starrk messed you up pretty good. I wouldn't be talking." Rafael said.

"Silence, worm." Baraggan told him.

Just then, Nnoitra arrived. Almost immediately he started cursing up a storm. Then he said, "I'm going cut that bastard Grimmjow's damn head off!"

"First, we must rebuild a place to stay." Baraggan looked up at the real sky. It was dark, with a crescent moon floating far above their heads. "Starrk destroyed our previous hideout." By then, he finally returned to his sealed form. "And I need a new throne."

* * *

Solomon walked into the Las Noches, seeing Harribel lifting Rudbornn onto her shoulder. "This may not be the best time, but I wish to join you."

* * *

Notes: The particular reason why I separated the episodes out like this is because I knew I couldn't stretch out Baraggan's retreat very far out. The pacing would seem extremely weird if I had Baraggan flee like four chapters after attacking. Six or seven chapters, however, is way more reasonable. And by no means is this story over. This is not the only battle of the story.

Casualties: Harribel's side: Rudbornn Chulete, dead. Coyote Starrk, left to control his abilities. Baraggan's side: Sartino Juare, dead. Loly's side: Solomon Perrault, left to join Harribel's fleet.

I messed up when publishing the episodes. Episode 13 I completely forgot posting, then I posted 14 and didn't even notice. I'm kinda pissed off for multiple reasons. One being that My writing sucks, because people didn't notice that an episode got skipped. Two being that if someone did notice, they didn't bother telling me.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: An Arrancar Funeral

It was for the best that Starrk had destroyed the fake sky blue sky that hovered over Hueco Mundo. If that bright blue sky still glared down at them, it would have seemed as though it was mocking Rudbornn's death. The dark sky looming overhead made it seem like the universe itself wept for the Arrancar.

Harribel's forces were gathered outside, surrounding a casket made out of glass, which was sitting above them on a large bed of sand. The transparent glass was covered a large piece of opaque white cloth, which several Arrancar recognized as the same fabric their uniforms were made out of.

They stood in silence and watched as Runuganga's sand opened a hole in the earth and slowly lowered the coffin into the sand. Instead of stopping six feet down, he continued to bury it deeper in the earth. The sand continued to lower the coffin until he reached the roof of the Forest of the Menos.

Carefully, the Sand Hollow opened up the coffin and pulled Rudbornn from his coffin with a large hand he had created made out of sand. As soon as the corpse was removed from the coffin, several Menos Grande seemed appeared from the shadows and started sauntering toward it. The sand slowly brought the body down, until he was finally on the ground. The Menos began to crowd around the Arrancar, who lay dead at their feet. They bent at awkward angles, attempting to get their enormous jaws closer to the body.

"That's enough." Harribel said. "Close the hole. We don't need to see the rest of it." Being as she hid her mouth behind the collar of her jacket, it was hard to read her expression for most. But the Tres Bestias knew she was grimacing, by the look in her eyes.

"Yes, milady." Runuganga complied by closing the hole in the ground.

* * *

The Arrancar were gathered, sitting inside their meeting room. Most in the room were somber and serious, rather than sad and depressed.

The remaining Privaron stood in front of the small battalion, giving his parting words to the Arrancar. "I can't say I knew the man well." Mosqueda said, trying not to fidget in front of them. "But I know that he was a fighter. It took an Espada and a group of other Arrancar to bring him down when he was by himself. He's sure as hell strong in my book." For someone who had never done such a thing, he did quite well.

"He was strong," Harribel agreed, walking next to him. "I am very glad that such a man would serve under me. If I knew that he would be killed in this battle, I would have sent several more Arrancar there to back him up. I will not be so foolish as to send a single soldier to fight another group of Baraggan's men, no matter how strong that Arrancar may be." She paused. "If anyone else would like to come speak, you may. No one is to feel pressured to do anything."

Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck sat uncharacteristically silent, looking down at her feet. As soon as Harribel finished her short speech, her head shot up and her expression changed into a look of pure determination.

* * *

Coyote Starrk was sitting atop a tall mountain, with Lilynette Gingerback sitting beside. He had sensed Rudbornn's spiritual energy stop the moment he was killed. And he was powerless to help him. The Primera's entire body sagged, as if gravity was pulling him harder than it normally did.

No matter how powerful Starrk got, he couldn't stop people from dying. He had proven that when Baraggan and Harribel were both cut down in Fake Karakura Town. The Primera had no love for Baraggan, but at the time the Segunda was a comrade. Yet he was cut down just the same. And Harribel was betrayed by Sosuke Aizen right in front of Starrk. Yet he couldn't help her in the slightest.

The Primera sighed and looked up at the bleak sky.

Not long after coming back to life, he found Rudbornn, who remained respectful to him, despite thinking both of them had been killed. Then later just before the battle, Rudbornn was worried about the Primera facing off against the Segunda. Not an ounce of Rudbornn's worry was for himself. All of it was for Starrk.

No matter how strong Starrk became, he was still weak. He couldn't help anyone at this rate. Does being the Primera Espada really matter if he couldn't keep his allies from dying?

Coyote glared up at the moon and howled. A shrill, ear piercing cry, that shook the very heavens itself with his spiritual energy.

* * *

"Lord Baraggan." Tosen said. "It does not seem as though Rudbornn or Sartino will come back to life."

"Hmm..." He scowled at the Soul Reaper. "Then we are not as immortal as I initially thought. Those who are weak must take great care to avoid being permanently killed."

"Yes, sir. I will pass the message around." He bowed to the Espada before leaving.

* * *

Ichimaru was lying on his back, his eyes closed. He was lying aloft a bed of rocks, which could not have been comfortable. Yet his breath was shallow and his eyes were closed.

Lurk slowly crept toward him; steps silent, breath held. The silence in the air was almost deafening.

"Ya know... if you're gonna creep up on someone, you should really disguise your spiritual energy."

She stopped dead in her tracks. "Sorry, Master Ichimaru." She stood ramrod straight. "I was not intending to sneak, sir. I just didn't want to wake you."

"I'm not asleep."

The two remained silent for almost a minute.

"Is there a reason why you came to speak with me?" The Soul Reaper asked.

"Sir," She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "May I ask a question?"

He smirked at the Arrancar. "There is no need to be so formal, Cirilli."

She relaxed her shoulders slightly. "Why... why didn't you do anything on the battlefield?"

"Hmm...? How'd you hear about that?" Ichimaru inquired, still on his back, but his right eye partially opened.

She blinked twice, taking a deep breath.

Ichimaru almost laughed at her. "You can say. You aren't in trouble or anything. I just knew that you were in Tosen's company, so you couldn't have been there."

"I was in Tosen's company. But, Priscilia told me what happened."

"Ah, so you know her?" He asked, closing his eye again.

"Yes, sir."

"Anyway, the answer is because I knew we would get defeated." He shrugged indifferently. "So I didn't bother."

"How could you have possibly known that?" She asked, flabbergasted.

"All of the small creatures that we've encountered, there's been at least three more that we haven't seen. And they were sent by Harribel."

"They were spies," Lurk realized.

"Exactly." Gin went on, "So they knew our battle plan and they adjusted their forces accordingly. I advised Baraggan not to attack, yet he did so anyway. So to protect myself, I went to the back." He stretched out like a cat. "Luckily, none of us were killed."

"You would have risked the lives of everyone else just so you could survive?"

Ichimaru grinned. "It's a dog eat dog world out there. You do what you have to, if you want to survive."

"Can you really justify that? What if every one of them died?"

"Every single one of them enlisted on his own, of his own free will. _Join or die_ is what I got. I have no interest in Baraggan's conquest, so I'm not willing to die for him."

"Yet you would expect others to die for his cause?"

"Tell me when I said that." His grin faded, and he finally sat up. "If any of them retreated before the retreat command was given, I wouldn't have stopped them."

The Arrancar went silent for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry I doubted you, Ichimaru." She bowed to him, then vanished.

* * *

"Lady Harribel!" Dingo shouted, rushing out of the room to catch up with her. The Tercera stomped out of the room, almost as if she didn't want to speak with anyone.

She didn't seem to hear him.

"Lady Harribel!" He repeated, grabbing her shoulder. She whirled around.

"What?" She nearly growled.

"Whoa- you're pretty tense. Too tense for only one of your soldiers to be killed. It could have been worse. I mean-"

Harribel suddenly had the boy pinned against the wall by the throat. "Only one solider? One man is dead because of me, Dingo. Do not talk about it lightly. Rudbornn Chulete is dead and it's my fault."

"I'm sorry-" Dingo choked out. "-please-"

Her eyes widened, then she let go of him, and the gunman collapsed to the ground. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for." She apologized.

"No... it's alright..." Dingo rose back to his feet. "I'm sorry for saying that. I shouldn't have said that."

"What did you need?"

"It's the new guy. Where does he fit in with our previous training regimen?" He paused, then shook his head as if deciding not to say something.

"We're going to change everyone's training." She said. "We're scrapping the entire system."

"Pardon?"

"You heard me. I'll plan for it tonight. You show Solomon where everything's at. Tomorrow we begin the new training."

* * *

Notes: Shout out to my new beta, Chiapetirl! She's got a story out, so you should check it out (which I haven't gotten to read yet so I can't honestly say if it's good or not).

Also, the Bleach anime got taken off of Netflix. Which is pretty annoying. I'm going to try watch it on the Viz Media site. Usually, I'll only review stuff on my Archive account, but I'll review that over here and over there.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Lupus Meets the Homininae*

Dingo and Solomon were walking the halls of Las Noches. Dingo had to nearly jog to keep up with Solomon, despite the gunslinger being tasked with showing the newcomer around and not the other way around.

They eventually arrived at to the living chambers. "When people are going to sleep, it's all fair in love and war," Dingo explained. The room was large, with many beds in the room. There were ten beds in each column, and five in each row. There was enough space between to navigate through the entire room. "You just gotta crash wherever there's an empty bed. There's no calling beds here. But don't worry, there's plenty, so you won't have to worry about sleeping on the floor or something."

Solomon nodded. "Is there a designated time for sleeping?"

"Uh... I don't really know." Dingo said. "Before this battle there we trained in two shifts-" He held up two fingers, "-so we can do whatever you want on the one, then your other was for training or standing watch. But Harribel said that we're gonna change our strategy." He shrugged. "So I can't really say."

"Hmm." Solomon responded.

"Can I ask you something?"

Before answering, Solomon searched for any ill-intent in Dingo's eyes. He found none. "I suppose."

"Why'd you join up?" Dingo asked. "After staying neutral like that? What changed your mind?"

"When I was still alive for the first time, I heard of the cruelty of the Espada." He inadvertently tightened his hand on his glaive. "So when I came back to life and heard that there was a power struggle between two Espada, I wanted nothing to do with it. But then I realized something. Harribel's forces were not like the Espada of time passed. I saw one of them- Mosqueda, I believe his name was- talking about the recently deceased. And I realized that things must have changed." He paused, momentarily. "Baraggan, however, is much like Arrancar from back then. Angry. Blood-lusted. And all together monstrous." He looked Dingo in the eye to see if he had any reaction. The gunman's face remained blank.

"What about before Mosqueda? You must've had something before that."

He waved at him dismissively. "I was simply testing the waters, I wasn't certain I would join up until I saw him speaking." Changing the subject he asked, "what about you, Dingo? Why did you join?"

Dingo grinned, showing his teeth. "Back when I was an Arrancar, it was an eat or be eaten world." His grin broadened. "I hated it. After I was killed by a Soul Reaper with surprising power," he put his hand on his chest, as if that's where the Soul Reaper attacked him. "I came back to life. And I was bored out of my mind. Battle was the only thing I knew. So I joined up with Harribel's forces, simply because they came to be first."

"Now that's a lie," said a feminine voice. The glaive-wielder and the gunman turned to see Appachi was getting out of one of the beds. "You were the only one who tried to say Harribel was using cannon fodder tactics- which is exactly what Baraggan is doing." She scowled at Dingo, trying to get a read on him. "So if what you said a moment was true, you wouldn't have cared with Baraggan used the tactics, but you would have if Harribel did."

Dingo thought for a moment. "Uh... maybe. I pretty much just don't like people who'd lie to their forces." His eyes remained blank. "If I was on his team, and he honestly told me that was his plan, I wouldn't have cared."

"You would... allow yourself to be sacrificed?" Solomon asked. "For some cause you really couldn't care less about?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe. Probably. If it allowed me to escape from my boredom."

* * *

Matthias was leaning against the wall, starring at the wall opposite to him. " _Are you a dog, Matthias?_ " Solomon remembered Solomon asking him. " _Do you do whatever your master orders without question? And for what? Maybe she might scratch your ear?_ "

 _I... am not a dog._ Matthias thought to himself. _I owe her. That's all._

" _Oh, is that right?_ " Solomon had asked him. " _So because you owe her, you'll throw down your life for a cause that you don't even believe in?_ "

Solomon was right. Matthias didn't believe in Loly's cause. But did that really matter? If he owed someone... shouldn't he try to help them, until he didn't owe them anymore?

But then again... when would he no longer owe her? How many times does he have to do something he doesn't want to do? If he had any interest in fighting Solomon he would have quickly drawn his sword and slashed at him.

Loly hadn't go out of her way to save Matthias specifically. She only wanted him because he was strong. Does the ends justify the means? In the end, she freed him. Does it matter for what reason?

The swordsman sighed. How the hell could he answer all these questions? The truth is, he wasn't a smart person. And stupid people need someone smarter than them to tell them what to do. It's simply the natural order of things. But if that was true... why did he feel like Solomon's right?

"Matthias. We're heading out." Loly told him. "Let's go."

Deep in thought, the man didn't even hear her.

"Hey!" She snapped in his face. "Wake up. We're leaving. Come on."

Matthias starred down at her for around fifteen seconds before responding. And his response surprised her. "No."

"What...?" She asked, half stunned.

"If you want to leave, then go ahead. But you-" Then through clenched teeth, "-don't give me orders."

"But you owe me!" She protested.

"I _owed_ you. Not anymore. I risked my life to fight Grimmjow. A battle that wouldn't have happened without your order." He clenched his fists. "I almost fought Solomon. A battle that would have ended with one of us dead." He pounded his fist into the wall. "Tell me. When will I pay off this debt if your eyes? I think I've paid it back in full."

Loly's heart jumped into her throat. If she didn't have someone strong to protect her... would she get killed? She wanted to say something, but her mouth refused to respond.

"I will continue to travel with you two. But on my own terms." His eyes warned them not to try to argue with him. "I will not take orders from you any longer, do you understand?"

"I... understand."

"Good." Matthias nodded to her. "Then we'll go."

* * *

Harribel had her forces assembled in their meeting room. Everyone aside from Coyote Starrk and Lilynette were there.

"The death of Rudbornn has made me realize something." She paused and closed her eyes for a moment, then opened her eyes again. "It's a shame that it took someone's death for me to understand that my tactics were flawed. With the aid of Ichimaru, we are going to train specific people to fight specific members of Baraggan's forces."

"Wait, what?" Mosqueda asked.

"For example, we may have Ulquiorra and I battle against Baraggan. Which could mean we would train specifically to battle Baraggan and no one else."

"And how would we do that?" Solomon asked. "You mentioned someone named Ichimaru, but can that person copy abilities and fighting styles? If not... how would we help?"

"I don't know for sure if it'll work," she admitted. "but he might be able to make a simulation that we can have different members of our forces battle different members of Baraggan's forces."

"What does he do, anyway?" Dingo asked. "Where does he go when he's not here?"

"That not my secret to tell. If you wish to know, you may ask him yourself."

"What about when he's not here?" Apacchi asked.

The Tecera crossed her arms. "We will have to wait."

* * *

Lurk was sitting on a bed of sand, deep in thought. " _All of the small creatures that we've encountered, there's been at least three more that we haven't seen. And they were sent by Harribel._ " Ichimaru had told her.

 _He didn't say it as if he was guessing, or if he was assuming. If we was, he probably would have said five and not three. Which makes me think that he knows that there were exactly three more..._ Her brows creased. _But why wouldn't he say anything until now? It doesn't make sense... I suppose he might not have said anything because he doesn't like Baraggan. But then he'd be risking people's lives unnecessarily, which doesn't seem like it would be his style._

She stood up and began to pace back and forth. _If I approached him about this, he would probably make something up or sidestep the question. On the other hand, if I went to Lord Baraggan about it, the Espada might kill him for betraying him. I may agree with Lord Baraggan's view of Hueco Mundo, but I have grown to enjoy the Soul Reaper's company._

She clenched her jaw. _I'll... just have to wait. And if he does anything more sinister... I'll be forced to tell Lord Baraggan._

* * *

Out in the middle of the vacant desert, a young Arrancar woke up from a deep slumber. He yawned, and licked his lips. "Boy am I hungry." He mumbled to himself. "I..." He yawned again. "Wonder if the people in Las Noches have any food." He looked around. "If only I knew where that was, though... I can't see it anywhere. I guess I walked further away from the battle than I thought I did."

* * *

Notes: *Homininae is the subfamily that both humans and chimpanzees come from. If you remember, Solomon was described as bigfoot-esque. (At least he was in my document, I may or may not have changed it to what my beta wanted.) C. Lupus (shorted to just Lupus for the title) is the species dingoes come from. Which obviously refers to Dingo.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Arrancar Being Taught by a Soul Reaper

Many Arrancar lay sleeping on beds of sand, exposed to the harsh elements of Hueco Mundo. Having walls and ceilings made one weak, Baraggan had said. So everyone- including the Soul Reapers- had to sleep on the sand. Besides Baraggan, who slept on a feather bed.

Hollows with feathers were hard to come by. And then if you killed it too quickly all of it's feathers would vanish before he could make the bed. Catching and stripping the feathers off a bird-esque hollow proved to be quite difficult. But his forces managed to do it anyway.

Ichimaru silently floated above all of the sleeping Arrancar, slowly flying away from them. "What are you doing, Ichimaru?"

Gin smirked, despite the voice coming from behind him. "Sorry, /Lord/ Baraggan. I wish to go to the lavatory. Must I ask permission to do such things?" He cocked his head to the side, quizzically. "I was unaware that I was a small child. Thank you for informing me." He turned and faced Baraggan, his smile unwavering.

"You try my patience, Soul Reaper." He waved his hand. "Go."

"Thank you, _sir_. It's much appreciated." He vanished before Baraggan could make another remark.

hr

Harribel was standing at the front door of Hueco Mundo. She silently watched and waited for something to happen- for anything to happen. If Baraggan attacked them in the night, she would be ready. If another Arrancar faction rose to challenge her, she was prepared. Or if the Soul Reapers realized what was going on and decided to put the rebellion down, she could defend her soldiers.

Just then, she sensed the energy of a Soul Reaper. She reached for her sword, then realized it was Ichimaru and relaxed.

Gin teleported in front of her, ever present smile plastered on his face. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." She told him, irritation spreading across her face. "Where were you when we were giving Rudbornn his funeral? Why didn't you come after, and tell a story about him? You were the last person he saw alive, correct?"

He held his hands out in front of him, as if trying to keep the questions from barraging him. "Hey, hey, hey... calm down... I didn't come here until now because I didn't want to make Baraggan suspicious."

"Figures." She rolled her eyes at him.

"So... uh..." He scratched his chin. "Do you need my help with something?"

"How did you know?"

"You were waiting for me."

"I wasn't waiting for you. I was making sure my people wouldn't get attacked in their sleep."

"Well if you don't need me I-"

"Don't play games with me, Ichimaru."

His smile widened. "Sorry, Lady Harribel. That's my shtick."

"What- never mind. Come."

Harribel stomped through Las Noches, with Gin following close behind.

She quickly navigated to the bed chambers. "Wake up." She ordered. "It's time to train."

Solomon was the first to open his eyes. He eyed the clock on the wall, seeing he had been asleep for not even three hours.

"Problem?"

"No, ma'am."

"Wow, it seems like something's buggin' ya, Harribel. Is there something up?" Ichimaru asked.

"Whaddya want?" Dingo mumbled. "I'm trying to sleep..."

"GET UP!" Solomon roared. "EVERYONE AWAKE!"

Every Arrancar shot out of their bed. "Good." Solomon said. "Now listen."

"Ichimaru is going to use his Kido skills to train you. He's going to have all of you face off against an illusion of each of Baraggan's forces." She turned to the Soul Reaper. "Can you do something like that?"

He shrugged. "I've never tried something like that. There isn't any spell like that, that I know of anyway. I might be able to create it, but no promises."

"Come back when you have perfected it."

"I'll need a test subject if I'm going to learn how to use it properly." Ichimaru said. "I'm better off staying here."

"And if Baraggan wants you?" The Tercera asked.

"Who cares?"

"What if he grows suspicious?"

"Guess I'll have to finish it quick, huh?"

* * *

Deep in the deserts of Hueco Mundo, three Arrancar hunted for prey. Most hollows with any sense at all, could sense that they were bad news and fled before they could get near them. Of course, the Arrancar could have caught up with them with Sonido... but why would they? They'd find something eventually. No point in using up more energy than necessary.

Besides, if his two companions couldn't be bothered to pick up the pace, than neither would Matthias. Then he sensed it. An Arrancar, not far from them. How hadn't he sensed that energy before?

Loly and Menoly seemed to notice too, because they stopped. "Where is it coming from?" Loly asked.

Menoly pointed to the right.

"Then we'll go that way."

"If it's an Arrancar... we might not be able to defeat him." Menoly pointed out.

"It's not like he was cloaking his energy. He's just really weak, which is why none of us noticed him before. So the three of us together could easily take him out."

Menoly turned to Matthias, who shrugged. "If we realize he's actually too strong we could always flee."

With Menoly out voted, they went to see the Arrancar. But before they could see him, they heard the sound of metal being dragged. "Could he be dragging his sword through the sand?" Loly asked, listening. "If he is... he might be weak from battle."

"It doesn't sound like a sword. It sounds like..." Matthias shook his head, "chains." He had much experience with chains from when Sosuke Aizen's men strung him up in Las Noches.

"Chains... could he have been another test subject? That escaped?" Menoly asked.

"Not possible. If he did, then the door would've been busted. But... I guess there could have been another one. If he's stronger than I think, instead of devouring him we could try to recruit him."

Soon, the three found a young male Arrancar walking the sands of Hueco Mundo. Long chains clung to his wrists and ankles, all dragging in the sand. He was wearing a plain white Arrancar uniform, but with the front open, showing his scrawny stomach.

"Who are you guys?" He asked.

"I am Matthias Iscariot. And you are?"

"Hugo Orellana. What's up?"

"We were recruiting new members to our group. Would you like to join?" Loly asked him.

Hugo stared at her for at least a minute without responding.

"Did you hear me?" She asked him, mildly annoyed.

"I heard ya."

"Then why didn't you respond?"

"I can't join a group unless I know what they stand for."

"Why didn't you just ask?"

"Loly." Matthias said. "Enough."

She clenched her jaw, but returned to silence.

"What do you stand for?"

"We simply do not wish to get involved in this war." Matthias said. "The more people we have on our side, the better. There is strength in numbers. This late in the game, I doubt either side will recruit you. But you might get caught in the crossfire. Unless you take the side of neutrality."

He belched. "That's a load of horse shit."

"What's that?" Matthias asked as he clenched his fists.

"Weather I'm on your side or not, I could still get caught in whatever crossfire they create."

"Where do you stand on this war?"

"I don't care who wins." He shrugged. "No matter who wins, my life will only be affected ever so slightly. For all I care, the forces could wipe each other out and you could become the leader. Wouldn't make a difference to me."

"So... what are you doing?" Menoly asked him.

"Right now? Talking to you."

She shook her head. "Where are you going?"

"I was going to wait near Hueco Mundo and watch the up coming battles from a safe distance. Maybe with a bowl of popcorn. Maybe with a pretty Arrancar girl at my side. Probably not either of those things, though."

"...Who are you?"

"Hugo Orellana." He reintroduced himself as he walked away.

"What a strange man..." Matthias mumbled.

"Do we eat him?" Loly asked.

"No. We'll let him live for now. He'll probably die soon anyway."

"But if we think about it like that, we might as well eat him."

"I want to see how long it takes him to die." Matthias admitted. "The way he spoke, it seems either really arrogant or really confident. I'm leaning toward the arrogant route."

"I don't think so." Menoly finally spoke up. "He didn't seem like he was talking down on us. It seemed like he was... telling us how it is. At least from his perspective."

"Perhaps." Matthias said. "We won't get anywhere talking like this. We need to eat at some point, or we might starve to death."

* * *

Notes: A new faction is now introduced! The Hugo faction! Hugo is truly neutral, unlike Menoly and company, who just don't want to be killed. And by truly neutral, I don't mean he's true neutral like on the DND personality board thing. I'd probably put him somewhere between chaotic neutral and true neutral.

Sorry for the short but unexpected hiatus. I'm probably going to hiatus it for each major holiday.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Fireworks

A loud explosion tore through the silence of Hueco Mundo. Large chunks of a mountain showered all around the area. "AGAIN!" Shouted Lilynette.

"I know, I know..." Coyote responded calmly. Another wolf appeared out of no where, then charged right into the mountain. It charged head first in the mountain and exploded on contact. Another wolf lunged toward the mountain then exploded in the mountain. "We're not getting anywhere like this. We're not getting any better at controlling spirit energy."

"So what do you think we should do?" The disembodied voice of Lilynette asked.

Suddenly, countless wolves appeared all around Starrk's body. "This." Starrk responded. All of the wolves soared into the air. As they flew into the air, it created more room for Starrk to create even more wolves.

The wolves exploded when they were far enough away to where they couldn't hurt anyone. "WHOA! Those wolves make pretty good fireworks!" Lilynette laughed. "How long do you think we can keep this up?"

"I don't know," Starrk said honestly as even more wolves poured through the skies.

"Well we do have a whole lotta time," Lilynette told him. "So I mean..."

"We don't have time. We're working against the clock here, Lilynette. We have no idea when Baraggan is going to attack next. We need to hurry up and learn the best way to control our spirit energy."

"Yeah... I guess you're right..." Lilynette responded. "So-!" She roared, and even more wolves seemed to appear. "-I'll give you even more spirit energy!"

Starrk's spiritual energy boomed all around him, and shook the ground beneath his feet.

* * *

Harribel was sitting at a table, pen in hand.

 _The only Arrancar who were able to stand against Baraggan's spiritual energy were Tier Harribel, Ulquiorra Cifer, Wonderwiess Margela, Monica Alejandra, Dingo Gaudao, and Perrault Solomon. Wonderweiss and Monica are inexperienced in combat. Harribel, Ulquiorra, Dingo, and Solomon are possibly our best choices. Each one of us will group with another, with the aid of Gin Ichimaru-_

She gripped her pen tighter. "Damn it..." She mumbled. "I need to control myself."

 _-We will see who is best suited to battle him. After, we will go through the rest of Baraggan's forces and we will figure out which of our forces will be best suited to take out members of Baraggan's forces._

"Whatcha writin'?" Someone from the doorway asked.

Harribel's eyes flared. The pen in her hand snapped into many pieces. "Ichimaru." Although she didn't intend it, venom laced her voice. "What do you want?"

"Whoa, there's no need to be so hostile!" Ichimaru said, mock fear in his voice. "I was just asking what you were doing." He cocked his head to the side. "What're my orders, boss?"

"You will receive your orders soon. Do not ask me again."

"Whoa... scary..." He turned to walk away. "Ya know... I'm sticking my neck out for you. You could stand to be a little more grateful," He shrugged. "Don't worry, I'm just kidding."

After Ichimaru left, Harribel calmly rose to her feet... and proceeded to punch a massive hole in the wall.

Not far from her, Apacchi bit her lip. / _hat has gotten into Lady Harribel. I've never seen her like this before... it's terrifying. And it's always when Ichimaru is in here... Did she do something to make her angry?_

* * *

Baraggan was sitting on his new chair built upon the bones of several hollows. He was deep in thought. So deep in thought, that he didn't even notice when Rico Nataniel walked up to him.

"Yo, Segundo!" Rico was tall, with wild blonde hair. He wore the standard white pants of an Arrancar, however, he wore no shirt, due to the fact that he had a pair of massive white bird wings sprouting from his shoulders.

Baraggan snapped to attention. "WHAT?" He growled.

"I wanted to ask you something. What're you planning on doing about Harribel's forces? We got our asses kicked the last time. So what are we going to do differently this time?"

Baraggan growled. "Don't worry about that. The only thing different will be how I handle Coyote Starrk. I already have a plan to deal with everyone else."

"What would that be?"

"There must be a spy in our midst. Which means if I tell you, that spy might here. Or perhaps you are the spy."

"Me?" Rico asked, laughing. "Why the hell would I work for Harribel?"

"I don't know why anyone would choose her way over our way- the only true way for Arrancar and Hollows to live."

* * *

Notes: Bleach is back on Netflix. Not sure what Netflix is doing with it's life, but I'm glad Bleach is back on there. Casting stuff from the Viz website was pretty bad.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Into the Lion's Den

"LADY HARRIBEL!" Shouted Apacchi, careening through the hallway toward the Tercera's room.

Almost as soon as her Fraccion shouted, Harribel shot out of her door. "What is it?"

"Someone is approaching Las Noches."

Harribel's expression turned grave. "Is it one of Baraggan's men?"

"We don't think so. None of the Tres Bestias recognized him as one of Baraggan's soldiers, but it's not impossible for him to have contacted Baraggan before we sent our scouts out."

"Describe this Arrancar."

"Male. Black hair, dark eyes. He has long chains dragging behind him. He wears Arrancar white, but keeps the front of his jacket open. He doesn't look like anything special, but appearances can be deceiving."

"Watch him carefully, but don't approach him. He could be a recruit for our cause, or simply a curious hollow."

`Not long after, Hugo Orellana approached the castle. He forced the doors open and walked right in.

"I'm under strict orders not to attack you," the Sexta Espada said, leaning against the wall. "But I may change my mind, depending on how you respond. Who are you? Do you work for Baraggan."

Deciding it wasn't worth it, Hugo just started walking through Las Noches.

"Hey! My superior is talking to you!" Shouted Severiano Fuente, the Arrancar who was watching the door with Grimmjow. "I expect you to respond!"

Ignoring him, Hugo kept walking.

Severiano grabbed his wrist. "He asked you a question. Answer it."

Hugo stopped walking, but didn't turn to him. "Tell me where the leader of this establishment is."

"Answer the question first."

"My name is Hugo. I don't work for anyone, nor do I know anyone named Baraggan. Satisfied?"

He let go of him, then told him where Harribel likely was.

But Hugo didn't make it far. Harribel was waiting for him at the very end of the hallway.

"Are you the leader here?"

"I am."

"I'm going to cut right to the chase..." He yawned. "Can I..." He yawned again. "Borrow a bed?"

"... Pardon?" She expected him to ask to join her cause.

"If you have more than three people here, I assume that there are beds. So can I have one?"

"A bed..."

"Yes. Can I have one?"

"I... suppose... the living quarters are in a hallway off to the right, the second door on the left."

"Cool."

Hugo went to said room, and grabbed a bed. He began to drag it out, but he slammed into the doorway. He mumbled a curse word to himself, and then flipped it sideways, which made the mattress fall off.

He unlocked the chain attached to his left wrist, and he wrapped it around the bed and mattress, then with his right chain he wrapped it around the chain he had around the bed.

Hugo noisily dragged the bed across the hall, and came to the corner, where Harribel still stood. He thought of the best way to leave the room, so he just kept walking, putting a massive scrap on the wall in the process.

"Hey, asshole! Who do you think will have to fix that! And who do you think are you, asking for a bed?" Grimmjow snarled.

Hugo belched again, then left.

"You gotta respect the shear amount of balls on that guy." Servanio said. "His spirit energy is the level of a Fraccion, yet he unflinchingly went into the den of the enemy, spoke to three powerful opponents without a shred of fear, and took a bed..."

* * *

Alone, Nel walked up to the resident healer, Roka Paramia.

"Hello, Nelliel. How may I be of service to you?"

"I..." She clenched her tiny fists. "I want to become stronger."

A look of sadness crossed her face. "I'm sorry, but I cannot help you, Nelliel. I am a healer, not someone who can train you."

"I... can temporarily take my adult form. I want to be able to take that form indefinitely."

"Why? Aren't you perfectly fine the way you are?"

"I... can't be satisfied with people risking their lives while I sit around doing nothing!" She shouted, tears filling her eyes. "I... have to do something. I can heal a little bit, but I can't compare to you. So... I'll have to fight! Please, Roka! I need your help!"

"I'll do my best." Roka said. "But I can't promise a good end result."

"Thank you!" Nel shouted, tackling her with a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She smiled at the former Espada. "If all goes well... you'll become Espada-level once again!"

* * *

Notes: Sorry for not posting this chapter last week. That was my bad. I forgot to because I'm a dumbass, I guess.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Training

Dingo and Solomon stood facing Baraggan, floating above Las Noches. Solomon had his polearm leaned against his shoulder, and Dingo had his tommy gun held at his side.

Baraggan had started the battle in his Resurreccion. "What's the plan?" Solomon asked.

Dingo smirked. "Asking me what the plan is probably isn't our best option. I'm the kind of guy who just attacks things until they die. I don't make plans."

"Any suggestions as to what the plan should be, then?"

His respira shot at them, forcing the two to jump away from him. "Got any ranged attacks?" Dingo shouted.

"A Cero, a bala..."

"So you have no unique ranged attacks. That's not going to work. We need something with more power, if we're gonna fight this guy..." Dingo pointed his gun at him and began to tear into his respira. So far, his bullets made it about two feet away from him. "And my bullets aren't exactly cutting it either."

Baraggan sent his respira after Dingo, who continued to fire his gun. Solomon slashed at the Espada's back, but his respira ate away at his glaive. Dingo then dodged away from the attack before it could touch him- but he didn't let off of the trigger.

"Is it wise to just waste your attacks like that?" Solomon asked, tossing his half destroyed glaive to the ground.

"It's fine, each individual bullet takes so little spirit energy it's almost non existent. Which is why they do so little damage. I'm biding my time, seeing if he has an opening. Then when he does I'm going to boost the power of my bullets and cut him in half."

"What should I do?"

"I dunno."

Solomon looked down at his weapon. "I suppose, I don't have many other options." He scooped up the glaive, which was down to just about only the blade, and held it out in front of himself. "Cleave them... Hacha!"

Burgandy energy exploded all around the area. Solomon, who formerly resembled a sasquatch, no longer was covered in hair. Instead, he was clad in golden armor with a matching helmet. He had red feathers on the top of his helmet. A two handed battle axe replaced his glaive as his main weapon.

Baraggan Sonido'd toward Solomon, which made the now-released Arrancar fly into the air. Dingo shot a white-hot cero at Baraggan, which made the Espada turn and block his attack.

Solomon flew down and slashed down toward his back. But the Segunda was suddenly behind him, grabbing his throat.

Baraggan tossed Solomon to the side and turned his gaze to Dingo, who had yet to cease firing. Baraggan flew toward him, but the young gunman darted away from him.

Solomon's resurreccion crumbled around him, but his fur did not return. "Damn it..." He mumbled as his throat began to eat away at itself. He succumbed to the pain and vanished.

All alone, Dingo managed to avoid every one of Baraggan's attacks, yet he still couldn't do any serious damage against his opponent. Eventually, Dingo became too exhausted to run and he collapsed.

* * *

Dingo returned to reality, feeling slightly queasy. "Ugh..." He groaned. He looked around to remember where he was. Of course, he was in the same spot as he was before Ichimaru cast his magic spell on him. Sitting cross-legged on the roof with Solomon next to him and Harribel behind them.

"Both your movements were sloppy," Harribel said. "Solomon, it would seem that you are not suited to fighting Baraggan. Not having any competent battle experience in range makes it absurd to send you to fight Baraggan. Dingo, you not dodging his attacks until the last second was foolish. One bullet may only take a miniscule amount of spirit energy, but that adds up, especially when you can fire ten bullets per second. Which lead to you becoming tired faster and losing the fight."

"What was I supposed to do, Tercera?" Dingo asked. "I'm fast, but I'm not strong. I'm not Coyote Starrk. I can't casually handle the Segunda Espada."

"I pray that you will never have to fight him, but it doesn't seem as though the Primera will be able to come back any time soon."

"Can I go home now?" Ichimaru grumbled.

"Keep your mouth shut unless you're spoken you, Soul Reaper." Harribel ordered. "The next group, come. Ulquiorra Cifer and Wonderweiss Margela come forth."

The cuarto and the Espada-leveled Arrancar came up. Dingo nodded to Ulquiorra as he passed, then Sonido'd away.

 _That boy... I need to remember that he isn't Coyote Starrk... as much as I would want him to be._ Harribel thought.

* * *

Nelliel, in her adult form, towered over the small healer. "It worked," The former Espada note.

"It did, but it won't last. As soon as I stop healing you, it'll wear off, just like it has previously."

"Why is that?"

"It seems... like there's foreign spirit energy in your body. Under normal circumstances, your body would flush out any spirit energy that isn't your's like a sickness. However, for whatever reason, it won't vanish. That spirit energy is keeping you from maintaining your adult form."

"Is there any thing you can do about it?"

"Yeah... but it would help if I knew how it got there. Or who the spirit energy belongs too."

Nelliel thought for a moment. "A long time ago, when I was the Tercera Espada, I battled Nnoitra Gilga, at the time the Octava Espada. The two of us fought, but he used a strange technique to get the upper hand and he cut open my head. I lost my memory after that."

"Knowing who did it makes it much easier..." Roka carefully worded. "However, I need a bit of his spirit energy, if I'm going to flush it out. And that will mean someone will have to come in contact with him and take his spirit energy. Which presents a problem, due to the fact that he's one of Baraggan's forces."

"So how do we do it?"

"We need an under cover Arrrancar to extract some of his spirit energy."

"Will a Soul Reaper work? If so... I know just the guy."

* * *

Exhausted, Dingo and Harribel were returned from the illusion. "It has been decided. You and I will be the ones who face Baraggan." The Tecera pulled a piece of paper, and quickly wrote down that the two of them would be facing the Segunda. "Now, we will need someone who will face Kaname Tosen. Bring in Ulquiorra Cifer, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Wonderweiss Margela, and Gantenbainne Mosqueda to start with."

"What is the method here?" Dingo asked her.

"I'm seeing who all can withstand Tosen's maximum power. One by one, we'll see who all can even stand up to his power. Then I'll split them into groups and different groups will battle him, and I'll pick the one best suited for him."

Ichimaru yawned. "Seems like a huge hassle, to me."

"I told you to keep your mouth shut."

"Ah, no fair! He can ask you questions all he wants, and when I say one thing I get yelled at?" He sighed dramatically. "I might not help you at all, then."

Harribel's eyes focused, until they were razor sharp.

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding..." He said, holding his hands up in defeat. "Jeez."

* * *

"Master Nel." Pesche said, standing in the doorway of Roka's clinic. "Send Dondochakka and I instead. Don't send Gin Ichimaru."

"How long were you standing there?" Nel asked, cocking her head to the side.

Pesche's face reddened beneath his mask. "Well, uh... ya see... Dondochakka was worried about you... so he made me come down here with him... and..."

Massive crocodile tears flooded out of Dondochakka's eyes. "We've been here the entire time, Master Nel! But it's only because Pesche wanted to keep tabs on you."

"What makes you think that you can get anywhere near Nnoitra Gilga?" The former Espada asked.

The two stood in silence for a moment. "Me being a jokster is only a persona," Pesche said, his voice becoming serious. "As the Fraccion of the Tercera Espada, I was one of the strongest of the Numeros. I... once defeated an entire fleet of giant crabs. And once I took out the fleet, the leader says 'you can't defeat me, I've got crab armor' so I was all 'I just defeated your entire fleet, fool' and he-"

"Shut-up, Pesche." Nel shook her head. "Stealth has never been your strong suit. Neither has combat. Nor theory. You're pretty bad all around, actually."

"But... I developed the Cero Sincretico!"

"I helped too!" Dondochakka shouted.

"Enough joking around!" Roka shouted, tears in her eyes. "I won't send you on a suicide mission! It only makes sense to send someone more skilled!"

Several seconds passed in silence. Pesche took a deep breath. "After Nnoitra tore off our masks, we vowed that we would protect Nel with our very lives. And sending someone else to help Nel... is breaking that vow."

"How?" Nel asked.

"We're not the ones doing the protecting, are we?" Pesche quiried.

"But your vow didn't say you had to be the only ones who could protect me."

"Pesche." Dondochakka said, grabbing his shoulder. "If they don't trust us to do the mission... then we won't. But we won't sit around doing nothing. We'll get stronger. We have to get stronger! So we can protect Nel by ourselves and not rely on anyone else!"

"Yeah!" Pesche shouted.

* * *

After the training session was over, Ichimaru was lying on his back on the roof. He was exhausted, having to use his spiritual pressure through-out the day. He didn't have a single break, yet only ever complained as a joke- and when he did that, Harribel had blown up on him.

She only started doing that recently. The Soul Reaper wasn't an idiot, he knew very well that Harribel was upset with him because he was there when Rudbornn died, yet didn't lift a finger. The fact was that he couldn't. If he did anything, he would have blown his cover and the entire mission would have been a failure.

He kept telling himself it was a necessary evil, yet that still didn't make it any easier on his psyche. He tried to ease the tensions between him and Harribel with a joke, but that only seemed to make it worse. As much as Arrancar seemed to think they were different from Soul Reapers, and Soul Reapers seemed to think they were different from humans, they all seemed to feel the same emotions and bleed the same blood.

His thoughts were interrupted by foot steps nearby. He gripped his Shinso's handle and sensed for a spiritual energy signature. His eyes focused when he found one.

* * *

Once again, I'm sorry for forgetting to post last week's chapter until now. Also, sorry that I waited until Sunday to post this week's chapter. I guess technically speaking Sunday is the next week, but I consider it the "weekend" as in the end of the same week. It's kinda dumb to consider it the first day of the week yet the weekend. On a Spanish calendar, Sunday is the end of the week. Because they make sense.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Espionage

Several hours earlier, Baraggan pounded his fist into his chair, sending bone fragments into the air. Tosen half flinched. "DAMN IT!" He roared, "Where the hell is Ichimaru? He's been gone the entirety of today!"

"Shall I send someone to search for him?" Tosen suggested.

"Yes. Find someone. Someone who can find him without being noticed."

"I'll go," a voice offered.

The two turned to see Lurk standing there, not far from Baraggan's throne. Neither had noticed her approach.

"What makes you think you can go?"

"I can silence my footsteps, and Ichimaru told me before to neutralize my spiritual energy. I just tested it out on you two. Ironically, I'm going to use the technique Ichimaru suggested to track down that man."

"Fine. You may go. However, you listen here. Should he be betraying me or my army... I want you to kill him."

"Yes, sir." She Sonido'd away. And she'd been searching for Ichimaru's spiritual energy ever since.

One can conceal their spiritual energy from some people, yes. However, if their adversary is expecting to sense them somewhere, it makes it much harder to stay undetected.

Despite knowing this, Lurk couldn't find him. He was remarkably skilled at hiding his energy. Unless... there was one place that she hadn't thought of looking.

It would be suicide for Ichimaru to go there, though. However, just to be thorough, she Sonido'd to Harribel's castle.

* * *

Ichimaru stood up, and came face to face with Cirilli Lurk, who was perched on the side of the building.

His spiritual pressure wasn't what it was normally. He seemed exhausted, like he'd had a battle or something. But he wasn't wounded.

"Resting on the enemy's roof isn't exactly the smartest plan, Gin Ichimaru."

"I know... I know..." He smirked. "Ya see... I went in for information... but then they fought me. I managed to fight several of them off, then more of them showed up. Many, many, more. I retreated and none of them could sense me. I've only been up here for a little bit, I was just getting ready to leave, actually."

"How do you remain uninjured?"

He smirked. "Speed, luck, and skill. They simply couldn't get close enough to be with their swords because I was too fast. They can't hit me with their cero or bala because I'm skilled enough to dodge them. And I got pretty lucky when that guy with the machine gun started shooting at me. Or maybe he's a pretty bad shot."

"Hmm. How many did you kill?"

"Two of them. I'll give Baraggan the full report when I get there. I'll be there soon."

"Why didn't you tell someone that you were going to do this?"

He shrugged. "I guess it just slipped my mind."

"That just doesn't cut it. Baraggan is pissed."

"Well-"

Suddenly the door to the roof opened. Ichimaru immediately spun, drawing his sword. "Shoot to kill, Shinso." He called. His blade extended at lightning speed, hitting the door closed. "You better get out of here, Lurk." He told her.

"I can help you."

"No you can't. You're a stealth based fighter, not a combat based Arrancar like Grimmjow or Yammy. You'll only get in my way. So be gone."

"You can't come with me?"

"As soon as I pull this sword away, they'll come out and chase me. They'll eventually catch up. So I'm going to stand and fight and hopefully I'll win. If not..." He smirked again, "hopefully I'll get a little of that luck."

The person who was trying to get in began to slam their shoulder into the door.

"I will tell our master what you were doing. Hopefully you return alive." She vanished.

Ichimaru pulled the sword away from the door.

"What was that about, Ichimaru?" An adult Nelliel asked.

Telling the truth would only scare them. So he made something up. "Oh ya know... I was just messing around. Something to occupy my time. Then I got bored."

She squinted at him, as if trying to figure out if he was lying or not. "I need a favor of you, Gin."

"And what would that be?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but pink energy blossomed around her body. The child version of Nel stepped out. "I need a little bit of Nnoitra's spiritual energy."

"Why?"

"So I can return to my adult form permanently."

"Why?"

"So I can fight in Lady Harribel's army."

"Why?"

"... Because I believe in her ideals."

"Why?"

"... Ichimaru. Can you please take this seriously?"

"Why?"

"BECAUSE I'M SERIOUS!"

He smirked.

"You better not say it again." Child Nel clenched her fists.

"What don't you want me to say?"

"... Don't say why again."

"Why's that?"

"I'm gonna hit you!" She charged at him, swinging her tiny arms at him. She swing at his stomach, but he held his arm out to prevent her from actually hitting him. She latched onto his sleeve and started biting his arm.

He yanked his arm away from her, tearing his sleeve in the process. "Hey, that's not how you ask for favors, kid."

"Uh- uh- I'm sorry! Can you please do it?"

"Hmm... let me think about it..."

"Please, Ichimaru! I'll be forever grateful! I'll do whatever you want!"

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't, ya know?"

"I... uh... actually don't know."

"Hmm. You'll figure it out eventually. Later." He walked to the edge of the building and leaned over the edge.

"Wait, you never said if you would or not?"

"I'm sorry, but you will have to wait to file your request as soon as Mister Ichimaru returns from his journey. Have a nice day." He leapt off the building, soaring high above Las Noches.

"You jerk!" Nel shouted. Although, it was doubtful he would be able to hear her.

* * *

Notes: Happy New Year everyone, and I'm back to posting once a week again.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Battle Formation

Late at night, after everyone else went to sleep, Harribel was busy writing down important information on a paper.

 _Should Coyote Starrk and Lilynette Gingerback not return in time, Dingo Gaudao and Tier Harribel will be the ones to battle against Baraggan Louisenbairn. If Starrk does return, he will be the one to fight Baraggan. Which will allow Dingo and Harribel to battle against Kaname Tosen. If not, Tosen will be engaged by Monica Alejandra and Daliza Gurtrude. Pesche Guatiche will have a pseudo-battle with Gin Ichimaru._ She heard footsteps in the hallway, so she stopped writing.

Nothing. She shook her head, and went back to the plan. _Alone, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez will battle Nnoitra Gilga. Zommari Rureaux will be swiftly taken out by Ulquiorra Cifer. Ulquiorra will then aid Gantenbainne Mosqueda in battling Yammy Llargo. Perrault Solomon will battle against Aaroniero Arruruerie. Nelliel Tu Oldenschwank and Dondochakka Birstanne will battle against Tesla Lindocruz. Severiano Fuente will battle against Noe Aaron. Wonderwiess Margela will attack Rico Nataniel. Shakars Bisico will battle against Rafael Vazquez._

She took a deep breath, and set her pen down. She only had her Tres Bestias left, and there were seven enemies to fight. Unless Coyote returned soon, her Tres Bestias were in for a nigh impossible task.

"Lady Harribel."

She spun around, gripping her sword from the side of the desk as she did so. There stood her Fracciones.

"When did you get here?"

"We've been standing here for thirty seconds." Sung-Sun told her.

"What's the problem?" Apacchi asked. "What're you writing?"

"The battle strategy."

"Why? Couldn't you just memorize it? Wouldn't putting it into writing make it more likely to get found out by the enemy?" Apacchi went on.

"The fact is that your drones will know when they're coming. We'll have plenty of time to react before they can steal these plans. And I have it written down in case they attack early and someone else needs to take the helm instead of me."

"So what's the problem that you're facing?" Mila-Rose asked. "Come on. You can tell us."

"The only fighters I don't have allocated for a battle are you three. And there are seven more fighters. It'll simply be impossible for all of you to battle against him. Especially considering one of them is a stealth type fighter. And one has an unknown potential."

"Then we won't fight them." Sung-Sun said. "It's simple, really. Our strategy will be to play a game out cat and mouse with them. They won't be able to catch us. And we'll keep sending in medium sized Ayon clones, and Roka can keep healing us. They won't be able to survive that forever, Lady Harribel."

"Yes. You're very right." The Espada quickly wrote that down.

* * *

"Alright..." Coyote called, "Lilynette, we split on three. You ready?"

"Yeah, I was born ready, Starrk!"

"Okay..." He took a deep breath.

"One..." Lilynette began.

"Two." Starrk continued. Blue energy began to glow around Starrk's body.

"THREE!" Lilynette shouted.

Suddenly, a single individual split into two separate beings. Blue steam began to spread all around the area.

"Now. Activate your spirit energy." Starrk ordered. Both Arrancar glowed with the blue energy, forcing the steam to vanish almost immediately.

Starrk created a sword out of spiritual energy in both his hands. He clenched his fists, shattering the blades. He opened his hands again, creating two more blades. He continued to shatter and recreate blades.

Lilynette was charging up a cero in each of her hands, blasting them into the sky. She would then charge them up again and shooting them off over and over.

* * *

Quite some time later, both were exhausted and drenched with sweat. "Are you ready for our Resurreccion?"

She took a few deep breaths. "Yes. I'm... ready."

Starrk held his hand out, and Lilynette responded with the same gesture. They gripped each other's hand and more blue energy shot all around them. Two Arrancar suddenly fused into one body with two ornamental pistols at the sides.

Starrk drew his guns and proceeded to relentlessly fire into the mountain. He shot for around a minute, then his gun refused to fire anymore. Spiritual energy exploded around them. The spirit energy had enough force to blow nearly the entire mountain off the face of the planet.

"Damn it!" The singular body suddenly defused, creating Starrk and Lilynette once again. The two waited in silence for a few minutes.

"So I guess that crosses off the theory that our fused form would be weaker if we drained our spiritual energy before fusing."

"Yeah." Starrk responded. He waited in silence for a few minutes. Then he finally continued, "have any ideas?"

"Yeah. Just one. It's not going to make much sense to start with, so you're going to have to bare with me."

Starrk nodded. "Go on. I'll take any suggestions, at this point."

* * *

Gin Ichimaru finally made it to Baraggan. "I'm very, very, very, very, very, very sorry that I've been away, _Lord_ Baraggan. I hope you accept my sincerest of sincere apologizes."

"Tell me, Ichimaru. Which of Harribel's forces have you killed?" The aspiring King of Hueco Mundo asked.

"Oh, I see that Cirilli Lurk explained what I was doing."

"She did. Now answer the question, Soul Reaper."

"Dingo Gaudao, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, and more recently, I killed... uh... what was her name... Nel?"

"You expect us to believe that you could kill Nelliel?" Nnoitra asked. "She's a lot stronger than you would expect."

"What makes you say that?"

"I fought her."

Ichimaru's grin broadened. "You fought a child? And she impressed you? Maybe you aren't worthy of the Quinta Espada position, Mister Gilga."

"What the hell did you just say?" Nnoitra stood up, walking toward him.

"Maybe you should open your ears and listen. I said you simply aren't worthy of the Quinta Espada position. You were defeated by the Sexta, someone who is lower in rank than you." He titled his chin upward, looking down his nose at him via his nearly closed eyes.

"I'm going to wipe that stupid ass look right off your face!" The Espada went for his weapon, but Gin drew his first.

"Shinso." Gin called. His blade extended at such a high speed, Nnoitra didn't have time to dodge, let alone draw his weapon.

The Quinto* watched in horror as blood dripped onto the former Captain's blade.

"ENOUGH!" Baraggan roared.

Ichimaru's blade returned to it's normal size, and he sheathed it. But not without wiping the blood on his white coat. "Oh. You ruined my coat. I suppose you'll have to pay for it now. Or at least pay for the stain remover I'll have to use."

"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Ichimaru turned back to him. "Sorry, my lord. What are you trying to say?"

"Do they know that you're serving my army?"

"I dunno. They might, they might not. What does it matter?"

"You just killed three of her men. Do you think she'll take that lightly?" He looked at Ichimaru gravely, allowing him time to process what he was about to say. "No. Now she'll go on the offensive."

"No she won't. She's simply too weak-willed for that. She doesn't have the heart for it. All she can do is defend against your attacks. She will never attack you first."

"Fine. What information have you gathered?"

"None, yet. I was busted too quickly. However, I have a plan."

"And what is that?"

"I'm going to use a Kido Spell to make an illusion on myself, so that I appear as Coyote Starrk. Then the beauty of this plan is that she'll simply tell me her plan. And by the time that Starrk actually shows up, they'll already be defeated."

"Yes... that should work." Baraggan said. "However, there is one flaw. You won't be able to turn into that girl that Starrk brings with him. Lurk will go with you."

"No." Ichimaru said without thinking. "Well... the more people you bring, the more of a chance of getting caught, ya know? And you're risking twice as many of your soldiers as you would be if I went alone. Oh, and I could just be Starrk's fused form. Saying some bullshit like 'I couldn't split our spirits back, or we would both die'. Whatcha think?"

"Yes. Go with this plan. Gain as much knowledge as you possibly can. Then we will attack. I have a strategy this time. They won't know what hit them."

* * *

Notes: *To address two things simultaneously, it is stated that anyone with a Bankai can release their Zanpakuto by simply saying the name of their sword. Renji did this against Byakuya, when they fought in the Soul Society Arc. And referring to him as both the Quinto and the Quinta is not an error. You see, the way Spanish works, is the adjective has to match the noun. The word Espada is feminine, being as it ends in an A. Thus Qunito (five) has to end in an A as well, to be grammatically correct. However, if I exclude the word Espada, I can use the word Quinto instead- because it doesn't have to agree to a word that isn't there.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: The (not so) Dark Knight Rises

"GAAAAAHHHH!" Lilynette roared, swinging a sword at Starrk. "DIE!"

The Primera blocked the attack with his left hand. "Too slow." He threw his right hand at Lilynette's forehead. She leapt backward in order to avoid the attack. However, Starrk shot a quick ball of spirit energy at her, which knocked her to the ground.

"You could have killed me with that!" Lilynette shouted.

"Not with a bala, they're no were near strong enough to injure you. And if you're serious about this training, then you'll risk your life. So tell me, Lilynette. Are you serious about this?"

"Yes!" Lilynette got back to her feet, pointing the sword at him.

"Your attacks are too obvious. You leave yourself wide open before, during, and after your attacks. Your not fast enough. You're not powerful enough. And you don't have enough experience." Starrk told her impassively. _Baby steps, Coyote, baby steps. Telling her all this isn't going to help. She learns by action, not with words._ "Attack me again."

Lilynette charged at him, stabbing up at his throat. He effortlessly blocked the attack with the back of his hand and charged up a bala.

She leapt into the air, dodging the attack. "Always expect a counter. Always expect a follow up." Starrk told her, "these tips could save your life one day." He floated up into the air so he was level with her. "You're going to keep attacking me until I stay to stop. Alright?"

"Yeah! I won't disappoint you, Starrk!"

"Just attack, Lilynette." Despite his words, he couldn't keep the smile from creeping onto his face.

* * *

Gin landed lightly on the ground in front of Harribel's base. He took off his uniform, revealing his toned physique. He held his bloody uniform against the building, and his free hand glowed with white energy. The blood slowly began to separate from the white cloth.

After about a minute, all of the blood was out of his clothes and floating in the air. He pulled a small glass vial from his pocket and the blood flowed in. He sealed the vial and pocketed it once again.

Just then, the door opened. He turned to see Roka coming out.

"What... are you doing?" She asked, her face turning red.

Ichimaru smirked, "What's the matter, Miss Paramia?"

"Umm... I think I need to go back inside." She turned to go back in.

Ichimaru swung his jacket over his shoulders and stepped toward her. "Don'cha like what you see?"

"Uh..." She looked at him over her shoulder and her face reddened even further. "Sorry..."

"Come on, you didn't answer my question."

But then, someone else spoke up. "Would you quit teasing her?"

Ichimaru looked passed Roka to see a male Arrancar wearing a black trench coat. His Zanpakuto was no where to be seen.

The male Arrancar looked down at Roka. "The healer shouldn't leave the safety of our headquarters without someone to protect them. If you wanted to leave, you could have just asked."

"Sorry, Severiano... you were busy training with Miss Harribel, and the air was getting so stuffy in there... I just wanted to get a breath of fresh air. And well..." She eyed Gin once again, "I think I got more than I bargained for."

Roka went back into the building, but Severiano didn't. "Put your clothes back on, _Soul Reaper_." He spat the last two words as though it was a severe insult. And to an Arrancar, it probably was.

Ichimaru opened his mouth to say something sarcastic but Severiano walked away from him. The former Captain smirked. _That guy has a lot of spirit, I'll give him that..._ He put his jacket back on and began to wonder the halls of Las Noches.

Ichimaru eventually came to find Nel walking around. "Here." He reached into his pocket and handed her the blood vial.

"What is it?"

"It's the blood of Tesla's master."

"Who... is Tesla?"

"Guess you'll have to figure it out." He shrugged and began to walk away.

"Hey! That's not fair! At least give me a hint!"

"His name starts with a T and ends with an 'ela's master'."

"Tesla... Tesla... Tesla..." She pondered. "Wait a minute was he... wait nope. Lost it." She grabbed his sleeve. "Please tell me Gin!" Tears began to flood her eyes. "I'll never forgive you if you don't tell me!"

"Oh. Well in that case it's someone that you fought before."

"Someone that I fought before?" She thought for a moment. "Someone I fought before... that's still alive for Gin to get the blood from..." She snapped her fingers. "Grimmjow!"

"You fought Grimmjow?"

"No, but I was there when Ichigo fought him."

"You're hopeless."

* * *

 _It hasn't even been one day, yet she fights at a completely different level than what she did when we fought those Soul Reapers for Aizen._ Starrk thought as he slashed at Lilynette, who was flying down at him. She Sonido'd behind him, stabbing at his shoulder. He pivoted ever-so-slightly, then swung the back of his blade at her shoulder. She managed to block the attack and jumped away from him to regain her composure.

 _It's a shame. If I wasn't completely incompetent, I might have noticed this and trained her. And then she might not have died in Karakura Town._ He stepped toward her, slashing down at her shoulder, once again, with the back of his sword. _So far, it seems that her theory is correct... if I can get this powerful, so can she._

With some difficulty, she blocked the attack and managed to push his sword away from her.

 _If she keeps getting stronger at this rate... she'll be a difficult opponent to beat._

She leapt into the air, soaring down toward Starrk once again. He aimed a bala at her. However, Lilynette threw her upper body backward and swung her lower body forward, kicking Starrk hard in the chest while charging up a cero. The cero hit him point blank in the forehead.

Her eyes widened, hoping that she didn't actually hurt him.

But then Starrk snapped his fingers from behind her, swinging his weapon at her half a second later.

 _He's still snapping... which gives me an extra moment to react to his crazy speed._ Lilynette thought. _That means he's still holding back. And he's still swinging his sword backward. So I'm not where I need to be yet. So... I'm going to have to get stronger! I won't stop training until I won't be able to hold Starrk back anymore!_

 _I'll keep training her until my incompetence won't hinder her anymore._

* * *

Notes: The Knight thing in the title is because Nelliel's Zanpakuto, Gamuza, means Chamois in Spanish. Which is like... a goat or something. But it means Antelope Knight in Japanese.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: A Snake's Morality

Ichimaru arrived back at Baraggan's fort, when all the Arrancar were already asleep. He was exhausted, because he had to use his Kido spell on Harribel's forces the entire day, which put an enormous strain on his spirit energy.

He collapsed on his bed of sand, and fell asleep immediately.

* * *

When he woke up, he couldn't tell what time it was. When Aizen ruled Hueco Mundo, he had a fake sky in place- which made a false sun constantly glare down on them. And now it was just as bad, being as it was always dark. However, he felt as though he'd slept like a dead man.

He readied to leave, but Tosen stopped him. "Lord Baraggan requires your presence."

"Did I do something bad again...? Oh man... he'll have to punish me this time..."

"Enough." Tosen said.

"Can we just blame Nnoitra?"

"How did you get the stains out of your clothes?"

"Oh, I simply have many, many, many, many, spare jackets."

"Where?"

"... Yes."

"How did you get the blood out of your clothes, Gin Ichimaru?"*

"Fine... I'll show you..." He sighed. He drew his sword and sliced Tosen's forearm. Kaname leapt away as blood dripped to the ground. Ichimaru smirked and allowed the blood on the blade to drip onto his jacket.

"Explain yourself, Ichimaru. Or I'll kill you where you stand."

"Relax, I'm only doing what you asked." Ichimaru whipped his jacket from his shoulders and used his Kido spell to remove the blood.

"I see." Tosen said, "you could have used your own blood."

"Nah. That's less fun."

* * *

"Soooooooooooo... whatcha want, milord?" Ichimaru asked Baraggan.

"What information have you gathered?" Baraggan asked.

Ichimaru scratched his chin. "So far, I only know who Harribel doesn't want her forces to fight."

"And that would be?"

"Ugh..." He groaned. "She's afraid of Dingo getting killed by Tosen. And she's afraid of her Tres Bestias getting out numbered. She also doesn't want any of her lower leveled fighters to battle any Espada."

"But me specifically?"

"Well, sir... she's afraid that anyone who fights you will die."

"Exactly as expected. Return there. Gather more information. We attack the day after."

"Pardon?"

"You heard me. We attack the day after you return."

"But sir... I simply haven't gathered enough information..."

"We have enough. And Starrk hasn't returned yet, further reason why we should attack now."

"I didn't wanna say this... but she is devising a plan to defeat you. She was about to tell it to me... but she got sidetracked with training people. I need to know this-"

"THAT FOOL THINKS SHE CAN BEAT ME!" Baraggan rose from his chair, his spiritual energy exploding around the area. "I'll teach her that I'm far stronger than she'll ever be."

"Lord Baraggan." Tosen said from his side. "We cannot act out of haste. What would Lord Aizen think? He would think of you as unworthy to lead."

Baraggan growled and settled back into his chair. His spiritual energy decreased. "Fine. Return only when you know how she plans on defeating me."

He bowed. "I'll retrieve Harribel's papers for you, Lord Baraggan. But they won't be easy to get, she never leaves them unguarded."

* * *

Ichimaru trained the Arrancar, the same way he did for several days. Then finally, FINALLY, Harribel decided it was time for her forces to sleep. But not all of them. Half were still awake, guarding the place. The Soul Reaper quietly walked through the barracks, seeing the Tres Bestias standing in front of a door.

"Hey." He called, waving to them. "What are you three doing?"

"Guarding Lady Harribel's room. What do you want, Gin?" Apacchi asked, crossing her arms.

"Hey, calm down. I'm not here to break in or anything. I just wanted to know what you were doing." Then white energy glowed around his hand. The three Arrancar fell to the ground.

Ichimaru silently opened the door and looked around. The room was tiny. Not fit for the leader of a military organization. It had barely enough room for the bed, dresser, and the desk.

Harribel was sound asleep on the bed. She had been training her warriors all day, so there was no doubt that she was exhausted.

He knelt next to the dresser and attempted to open it. It was locked. White spirit energy glowed around his hand, and it slowly formed into a key. He slid it in and quietly turned it. It gave a soft click, which made him pause. Gin looked to Harribel, to see if she was awake. If she was, she didn't reveal it.

He slowly opened the drawer and looked through a handful of papers. One was the papers he gave her a long time ago, the ones that listed all the Arrancar in the area. It was a surprise that she kept those. He put them back in.

The second set of papers was a list of all the Arrancar that were stationed around the area and when they were active and sleeping. Finally, he found what he was looking for. Harribel's plan for who was attacking who.

* * *

Harribel woke up and yawned. Immediately she knew something was wrong. She stood up and looked at her dresser. Nothing about it looked any different. Aside from the lock. She knew she locked it last night, right before she went to sleep. But now it was unlocked.

She quickly opened the drawer and scrambled through the papers. "Shit." Her plans were gone. She tossed the rest of the papers aside and threw the door open. She looked in the hallway to see her Fracciones sleeping on the ground. "Get. Up." She growled.

Sung-Sun woke first. "Uh oh." She shook Mila Rose and Apacchi awake.

"Oh, Lady Harribel..." Apacchi said, yawning. Her eyes widened when she realized where she was.

"Why... were you sleeping?" Harribel asked, anger tearing through her words. "Now all my forces are in danger."

"What?" Apacchi asked. "What do you mean?"

"My battle strategy. It's gone."

"ICHIMARU!" Mila Rose yelled. "He... started talking to us. Next thing I know we're asleep. He must've used a Kido spell to put us to sleep."

Harribel closed her eyes and paused. "I can't sense him. He's hiding his spiritual pressure." She clenched her jaw beneath her collar and smashed her hand into the wall. "Damn that bastard... I knew he was a snake, yet I let him cozy on up to us anyway. He never gave a real reason why he was helping us. He must... be on Baraggan's side after all."

"I don't think so." Apacchi said, thinking hard. "I think... he's on his own side. I think he's helping both sides, as to strengthen both sides."

"Why on earth would he do that?" Sung-Sun asked.

"Because. He wants us to wipe each other out." Apacchi said. "He must... be working for the Soul Society. Now it makes sense as to why they let us leave. Because they didn't want to sully their hands with our blood. Let us fight each other. Then Ichimaru will finish off the winner by himself."

"Damn it!" Harribel said again. "We need to find him. Each of you send out as many Ayon clones as you possibly can."

* * *

Dingo was lying on his bed, awake. He didn't want to get out of bed at the moment, because he didn't feel like training yet. Because he and Harribel were the ones who were supposed to fight Baraggan, so she worked him like a dog. It made sense, of course, but he just needed to do something else. He wasn't the type of person who could do the same thing thing day in and day out.

He had to do something else. He had to have a _real_ fight- he was an Arrancar after all. He just wanted someone to run through the door and challenge him to a fight... but that probably wasn't going to happen.

"HEY!" Apacchi shouted, "we need help!"

He threw himself out of his bed and jumped to the ground, which made a loud enough thud to wake everyone else- the ones who didn't wake up to Apacchi, anyway.

"What? What's happening?" Solomon asked, grabbing his glaive off of the wall. "Are we under attack?"

Dingo realized that Apacchi's right arm was missing at the elbow. He felt excitement building up in his chest.

"No, Ichimaru stole Harribel's plans! We have to find him!" She shouted frantically.

Well, she didn't run in and challenge him to a battle, but this was close enough.

Solomon looked around. "Apacchi, you start looking. I'll take charge here."

"RIGHT!" She took off.

"We're going to split up into groups of two or three." Solomon said. "One person with good Pesquisa, and one or two combatants, in case they find him and the situation goes south. He looked around. Who all here regularly uses Pesquisa?"

Roka lifted her hand, along with Monica, Shakars, Daliza, Mosqueda, Ulquiorra, and Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are fine by themselves." Solomon said, "Dingo can work with Roka, I'll protect Monica, Daliza will be best with Wonderweiss, and Severiano will have to work with both Shakars and Mosqueda. Alright?"

"Hey, why don't you lead this army?" Dingo joked.

* * *

Hugo was sitting on his bed, watching as many Arrancar charged out of the building. "Huh. Wonder what those idiots are doing." He jumped out of the bed, and then started walking away. He had attached his chains to his bed, so he was dragging the entire thing behind him as he walked.

"Hello, my fellow Arrancar. May I ask what you are doing?"

Not a single one stopped. A smaller Arrancar with a gun slowed, but he kept on going. "Why did that guy talk so weird?" He asked, when he was not quite out of earshot.

Hugo stood there for a moment, waiting for more people to come out, but none did. So he walked back in. His bed was once again too wide to fit, so he just yanked it really hard and pulled it through. Which put an ugly scratch on the door frame.

"Hellllllloooo?" He called. No answer. "Oh. All alone in the heart of enemy territory. What is someone to do?"

He walked through the building, and eventually he came to the room with all the beds. "That one guy said I talked weird, so I should show him whose boss by destroying his bed. The only problem is... I don't know which one is his." He shrugged. "Better destroy all of them, just to be safe."

Hugo walked in to the room, but he was once again restrained by the chains. He didn't feel like yanking it again, so he just charged up balas and proceeded to destroy every single bed in the room.

"Man... that was very tiring..." He crawled up onto his bed and yawned. "I might... fall asleep... right now..." And before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

* * *

Notes: *This scene was not a mistake. Tosen knew that Gin was lying, so he called him out on it. However, Gin knew he couldn't give an actual location, so instead of answering the question he just said "yes". Kaname realized that Gin wasn't going to answer him, so he just asked a completely different question.

Sup, Hallow, welcome back. I meant to say that a long time ago, but I kept forgetting because I'm stupid. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you didn't think I was ignoring you. I'm reading your messages, but I don't want to confirm nor deny any of them because of spoilers. In hindsight, I guess reading them and not acknowledging that you said something probably wasn't the smartest idea, but then again, I'm not the smartest guy. Anyway, I'm not big on reading Fanfiction, mostly because I hate reading basically anything on the internet, but I _might_ check it out if I'm really bored.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Deceit and Trust

"I have retrieved the plans for you, milord." Ichimaru said, handing off a white parchment with blue ink.

Baraggan looked it over. "Indeed." He then began to look over it closely. "These plans are incomplete, Ichimaru. There has to be a second page?"

"What?" Gin asked, raising an eyebrow. "Huh. I don't think I missed something... but..."

"But _what_ , Soul Reaper?"

"Harribel may have been more crafty than I expected. She may have this as her decoy document that she locked in her room. But the document with more information could be hidden elsewhere."

"Yes. These plans do not outline how they plan to defeat me, or Tosen, or even you." Baraggan glared at the former Captain, "which means you have failed your mission. Go back there and find that document. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE UNTIL YOUR MISSION IS COMPLETE!" He clenched his fists.

"So... does that mean I'm dismissed, or nah?"

"ENOUGH WITH YOUR JOKES! GET OUT!" He swung his axe at him, but Gin vanished before the weapon could touch him.

"Is it wise to send him alone?" Tosen asked.

"Explain yourself."

"Ichimaru's ideals are foggy at best. He appears to do whatever he feels like it, his motivations could change on a whim- if he is loyal to you at all, that is."

"Are you suggesting he is a traitor?"

"Yes. He is not loyal to Lord Aizen the way I am. His loyalties may have aligned with him before the war, but after... it is simply impossible to tell what drives him. Unlike myself or even you, he has not mentioned Aizen once."

Baraggan said nothing, which Tosen took as Baraggan either accepting or considering his points. "Further more, Ichimaru is quite the deceptive person. He effortlessly deceived all of the Soul Society without-"

"Are you implying that I can be molded as easily as a Soul Reaper?" Baraggan growled.

"No-"

"That's exactly what you meant. You wouldn't have brought it up if you didn't think it was possible." Baraggan rose and bent to get in Tosen's face. The formerly blind man flinched back. "Now you listen to me, _Kaname_." He jammed a hard finger into the Soul Reaper's chest, "never compare me to a Soul Reaper again, in any circumstances. Do you understand me?"

Tosen stared in confusion for a moment.

"I ASKED IF YOU UNDERSTOOD!"

"Yes, sir!" Tosen responded.

"Good." Baraggan lowered himself back into his chair. "You are dismissed."

"Sir?"

"Do not make me repeat myself, Tosen."

"Yes, sir." All this time, Tosen had not left Baraggan's side outside of battle. He didn't really know where to go. So he simply walked away.

"Smooth."

Tosen turned to see a female Arrancar with a short sword and a buckler sitting just outside of Baraggan's field of view.

"Like you could have done any better, Cirilli Lurk."

"I've had similar doubts about Ichimaru myself. However, for different reasons. Him being able to dodge every shot from Dingo seems a little too convenient. Then escaping with only a torn sleeve." Lurk looked Tosen right in the eye, "and he keeps returning there. Something isn't right about it. We can't rely on him anymore. He's going to feed us bad information."

"If you want to speak with Baraggan now, be my guest." Tosen attempted to walk away, but Lurk grabbed his wrist.

"I think you need to hear this."

"What?"

"First of all, I've gathered lots of information just by listening to people's conversations. I want you to understand that."

"So what?"

"I don't think Baraggan intends to free Aizen."

"What makes you think that?"

"You speak of Aizen quite fondly. As if he were a very important person to you. But Baraggan... he refers to him with a bit of contempt in his voice."

"What is his goal, if not to free Aizen?"

"To be the sole ruler of Hueco Mundo."

Tosen took a few seconds to process this information. He looked up at the black sky, with lots of bright stars shining down on him. The stars were one of the many things he came to appreciate, now that his vision had been restored. "He has given me no reason to doubt him. I should trust in his words."

"Listen to yourself, Tosen. These are the words of a man blindly following someone who will stab them in the back as soon as they are no longer useful."

"What makes you think that?"

"Think about it, jackass. You're a Soul Reaper and he's an Arrancar. You shouldn't get along. I sure as hell know the rest of Baraggan's forces almost despise you and Ichimaru."

"Why are you any different?"

"Ironically, Ichimaru taught me humility."

* * *

Dingo soared through the skies, patrolling for Ichimaru. He looked over his shoulder to make sure his companion were still close behind. The gunman had to willingly hold back, or else he might lose her. He had to keep reminding himself that Roka wasn't meant for travel or combat.

He slowed to a halt and she stopped next to him. As he expected, she was out of breath. "Sense him?" Dingo asked.

"Not..." She inhaled and exhaled, "yet." We should... keep moving..."

"Stretch your pesquisa as far as you possibly can from here."

"Why? I can still keep going. You don't need to hold back from here."

"Minimal work and minimal time away from the castle." Dingo told her, "I don't particularly like search and destroy missions. They're not really my cup of tea, so I'd prefer to get this over as quickly as possible. We might be flying around all day and we might not find him. And he very well could be right under our noses. Also, everyone leaving the castle gives me a bad feeling. What would happen if Baraggan attacked now while our forces were scattered?"

"The castle would be destroyed." She said, finally being able to breath almost normally again. "That's all. I'm sure the few Arrancar that are still in there, namely Nelliel, Pesche, and Dondochakka, would escape before it got destroyed."

"A castle is just a castle, I really couldn't care less about it. But the further spread we all are, the easier it will be for Baraggan to pick us off one by one. Notice how we're in teams of a healer and a combatant. If he attacks us with two combatants we're screwed. I only mentioned the castle at all because that's where we group up at."

"Yeah... that makes sense..." She closed her eyes, then opened them. "Nothing. I can find even Baraggan and several of his forces, but Ichimaru's spiritual energy is almost undetectable."

"Probably a Soul Reaper thing. Could be a magic spell or something that hides his energy. Might turn him invisible too. Wouldn't that be something?"

"I've heard tales of an Arrancar that could turn invisible. He was a very powerful Arrancar with blood red eyes."

"Can't say I've heard of him."*

* * *

After quite some time, Harribel was beginning to think it was a lost cause. "He must have delivered the papers already. We'll have to change our means of attack." She clenched her fists. "Damn that Ichimaru."

"Lady Harribel!" Apacchi shouted. "Gin's back at Las Noches! One of the Ayon clones found him!"

"You three find as many Arrancar as you can and bring them back as quickly as you can. I will go in alone."

"Lady Harribel..." Mila Rose mumbled.

"Come on." Sung-Sun said, urging her two companions to leave with her.

"But... what if Lady Harribel can't defeat him alone?" Mila Rose suggested.

"Don't even think like that!" Apacchi shouted. "She's willing to fight him, then she knows she'll be able to beat him! That's just how she is!"

"Then why are we getting back up?" Mila Rose said.

That silenced Apacchi.

"We need to hurry." Sung-Sun told them, "we'll split to cover more ground."

* * *

Harribel soared through Las Noches, expecting to find Ichimaru.

So a bed in the hallway and blood splatter all over the walls caught her off guard. "Shit!" She opened her pesquisa, searching for _anyone_ who was still in her castle. Then she found someone that she had almost forgotten. Hugo. His energy had been strained, as if he had just been through a serious battle.

She blitzed through the building, until she found him, lying on the ground. The chains connected to his left wrist had been cut off, with blood running all down his forearm. The chains on his right arm were still attached, however, they had been slashed cleanly through the middle, detaching him from his bed.

"Why are you here?" Harribel asked, grabbing his shoulder, and slamming him into the wall.

He groaned in response, then a door closed off to her left. She turned to see Gin leaving her room.

"Ichimaru..." Her voice was laced with venom and ice.

"Oh, hey, Lady Harribel." The Soul Reaper grinned, "I simply found a rat in your house, so I wanted you to see that I defeated him."

"You stole my plans."

"I can explain."

"You gave my plans to Baraggan. Then you returned them, hoping I wouldn't notice."

"Uh... not quite. Ya see..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white paper with blue ink. It was filled to the brim with lies. It stated that Wonderwiess had a perfect counter for Baraggan's ability, and Nelliel's adult form was more than enough to defeat Tosen. "I gave him a fake document, like this one. Ya see... I divided your document into two. The one with more important people I haven't given to him yet. The other I gave him today."

"So why did you steal the document?"

"Well first of all, I needed to mimic your handwriting. Second of all, I couldn't risk letting Baraggan figure out that your actual plans, so I gave him a load of bullshit, just like this."

She thrust the paper into Ichimaru's chest. "Why should I trust you?"

Ichimaru's smile faded for half a second, but it returned. "Why shouldn't ya?"

"Because you're a snake. You manipulated the Soul Society before you left to join Aizen. And you continue to manipulate Baraggan and/or myself. Give me a reason why I should trust you?"

He thought hard for a moment. Why should she trust him? He _was_ a snake. All he did was screw with people and then proceed to stab them in the back when they least expected it. He did it with the Aizen. He did it with the Soul Society. He was doing it with Baraggan right now. But how the hell was Harribel supposed to know that she could trust him? After he watched as Aizen cut her down, and after he watched as Zommari killed Rudbornn. She had no reason to trust him.

"So?"

His smile was long gone by then. His eyes opened, sorrow filled his eyes. "I'm sorry, Harribel. But I don't have an answer."

"Leave. And never return."

He nodded.

He walked down the long hallway, leaving Hugo to Harribel. He approached the door and then stood still. If he walked out these doors now, the next time he came back he would be Harribel's enemy. Then again, if he didn't leave, he'd still be her enemy. He took a deep breath and walked through the doorway.

Ichimaru walked through the sands of Hueco Mundo, leaving Las Noches behind him- along with his alliance to Tier Harribel.

* * *

After all the Arrancar returned, it only took a little while for them to return to their daily schedule. Harribel pulled out her white document with black ink. She pondered if she should change it. But the document was only pretext. She was really wondering if Ichimaru had betrayed her or not.

* * *

Nel was sitting in the infirmary, waiting patiently for Roka to finish doing whatever she was doing to that bottle of blood Ichimaru had passed down to her.

"It's Nnoitra's spirit energy." Roka finally explained. "It's the key to unlocking your former powers."

Nel looked down at her feet. "Then it would seem Ichimaru was really helping us..."

"Yes, that's unfortunate. But there is nothing we can realistically do about it, at this point. We simply have to hope that we don't cross paths with him again."

"It's so sad..." Giant crocodile tears filled in Nel's large eyes. "He won't be accepted by the Soul Society because he helped us**... Baraggan's side won't take him because he's been working with Harribel... and we can't take him back in because Harribel thinks he's a liar. He's stuck right in the middle. Without a single friend in this entire universe... he has no one to turn to." Tears rolled down her cheeks.

* * *

Notes: *You'll only get this reference if you've read Coyote Starrk- A Soul Reaper. By the way, that Arrancar is not important to the story. I just thought of it because Dingo mentioned that Ichimaru could be invisible and thought it would be a cool multi-story reference.

**She means the Soul Society won't accept him because he's been working with the Arrancar. As in he sided with them during Aizen's war.

I'm stupid and I wrote this chapter yesterday... but I forgot to upload it. Again. I think this is like the third time I've done that. It'd be really rad if someone would message me and ask if I don't post a chapter by Sunday.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Harribel's Forces and Team Matthias

Harribel, in her released form, was in the midst of a mock battle with Dingo. She was doing her best to manipulate her water in a way that Baraggan used his Respira. The young gunman wasn't looking so good. His shoulders were slumping, with his head tilted forward. Sweat began to form around his arms, throughout his hair, and along his forehead. But the aspect that feared Harribel the most was the fact that he was having trouble keeping his gun hand pointed at her.

She shot a spear of water at him, which made him leap to the right, almost falling to his knees. But then the spear swung at him from the side. He turned and fired his gun as he leapt into the air, shooting down at Harribel's head. His bullets stung, but they couldn't penetrate her hierro. Dingo hung in the air, pointing his weapon down at her, gasping for breath.

"Good. You realized that I couldn't control my water as well above my head, so you stayed in the air and attacked me up there, rather than staying on my level."

"Actually I was just staying up here because it's easier to shoot down than straight forward. My arm is getting tired."

Harribel suddenly launched, shooting water at him. He Sonido'd to the ground and began to shoot at her feet. She sent a torrent of water at him, which prompted him to Sonido to the other side of the roof. He fell to his knees, and pointed his gun at her.

"Lady Harribel," called a mature feminine voice. Harribel spun around to see Adult Nelliel standing there. "Now that my former powers have been returned to me with the help of Roka and Gin, I would like you to change your battle strategy."

"Yes. I will." Harribel's water gracefully fell at her sides. Her Sharktooth-esque Zanpakuto returned to it's sealed form. "You may take a break, Dingo."

He exhaled loudly and fell on his back. For the first time in that day, the water began to soak into his clothes. The boy was getting faster and his stamina was slowly getting better, but he wouldn't be able to beat Baraggan at this rate. He could fight for more than three hours, but after that he was done.

"I'll have to change my plans." Harribel walked down to the main floor and went to her room.

"So, are you gonna leave me here all day, or nah?" Asked Hugo, with his arm chained to the ceiling.

"Why were you in here?"

"Was tired."

"Why did you destroy those beds?"

"Felt like it."

"Is that why you came in the first place?"

"Yeah."

"Why did you let Ichimaru catch you?"

"He's too fast."

"Fine." She drew her sword and cut through the chain holding him there. "If you ever return, I'll kill you myself."

He yawned. "Alright, alright, already... I'll go..."

"I cannot babysit you right now. If you stay here any longer, I can't guarantee your safety."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"A lot of people had to sleep on the ground because of you. I can't imagine that makes them very happy."

* * *

Matthias, along with his two companions were sitting at Solomon's old house. Matthias was sitting on a chair, staring at a wall. It was fairly standard wall. It was gray, the color of the stone it was built out of. It was boring.

"So why exactly have you been staring at that wall for an hour?" Menoly asked him. "I can't imagine you'd wanna look at it for that long." Menoly was sitting on the ground with a smaller stone in her hand, drawing nonsensical things on the stone floor.

Matthias suddenly turned his chair around, to face Menoly. He sat silently for almost an entire minute, as if he was thinking about something. His expression was unreadable.

"What... are you doing?" Menoly asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Loly," Matthias called, looking to the bed, "I have to ask you two something."

"What is it?" Loly had been asleep on the bed, being as there wasn't anything better to do. She was allowed to do such, because unlike her two other companions, she was able to wake up at a moment's notice.

"Why did Harribel have two people stationed here?" Matthias asked.

"To keep us in, obviously," Loly responded.

"What does she gain from that? We said that we were gonna stay out of the war."

"Maybe she thought we were lying." Menoly shrugged. "Maybe she thought we were secretly working for Baraggan."

"Or maybe she was protecting us from Baraggan." The steel in the man's voice told them that he thoroughly believed that to be true. So there probably wouldn't be anything that could persuade him otherwise.

"Let's say you're right," Loly said, sitting up, "so what?"

"It means that she's helping us," Matthias said.

"Again, so what?"

"Who do you think is better, Harribel or Baraggan?"

"I don't really care either way," Loly said.

Matthias' gaze shot toward Menoly, which commanded a response. "I don't know."

"Baraggan has a mentality of "if they're not with us, they're against us" which isn't good for us. Harribel knows this, and she tried to protect us from it. So what does that mean for us?"

"It means if Baraggan wins the war, we'll probably be killed." Menoly mumbled.

"Yes." Matthias said. "So shouldn't we support Harribel? So we can fight off that bastard?"

"Are you kidding me?" Loly shot out of her bed, landing on her feet. "I don't want either of those people to lead Hueco Mundo! The only one who deserves to lead us is Lord Aizen! I'm not about to pick the lesser of two evils, I'm gonna pick a third option!"

"Sometimes two options are all you have." Matthias said.

"Like what?" The girl challenged.

Matthias cleared his throat, annoyance fluttered across his face. "What the hell do you have against Harribel?"

Loly didn't respond.

"Give me one good reason why she isn't fit to lead Hueco Mundo."

"Because she isn't-"

"Because she isn't Aizen?" Matthias guessed. "Listen to me. Aizen isn't coming back. If he was going to do that, he would've done it already. Which means he abandoned Hueco Mundo. Am I wrong?"

"He would never do that..."

"Loly..." Menoly said. "Matthias is making a lot of sense right now. We should join Harribel's forces."

Loly glared at her. "Give me one good reason why I should! I don't like any of those people! Not Harribel, not Nelliel, not that lazy ass Starrk, and definitely not Grimmjow!"

"Alright," Matthias said, stretching his legs. "Alright, alright, alright. I have an idea. The three of us stay an independent force. But we ally ourselves with Harribel. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?"

"What's in it for us?" Loly asked.

"I'm not done yet. We ally ourselves with Harribel. But we tell... when shit hits the fan... we get the hell out of there. Therefore, we have the protection of Harribel's forces, without dividing her army to help protect us."

Loly grinned. "I like the way you think, Matthias!"

Matthias turned to Menoly. "You've been quiet for a while. What do you think?"

Menoly bit her thumb. "You make a lot of sense... but I don't want to die for people that I don't even know."

"Then don't think about it as that. Think about it as dying for the people that you care about." Then a slight smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. "or preferably not dying at all."

* * *

Ichimaru was walking through the sands of Hueco Mundo. He was heading nowhere in particular, being as he was alone on this world. No one really understood him. Even when he was on their side, he only allowed them to see a very select portion of his personality. The Soul Society, Aizen, Tosen, the Arrancar. The only exception may have been Rangiku Matsumoto. No. She didn't really understand him. It was only wishful thinking that she did.

Rangiku Matsumoto... he wished he could go back to the Soul Society and things could go back to the way they were before he meet Sosuke Aizen. But that could never happen, Being as he sealed his fate when he left to go to Hueco Mundo. He even had a chance to redeem himself and stay in the Soul Society. But of course, he went to Hueco Mundo again. What a fool he was.

It was true. He was a fool. A dumbass, even. Everyone's misconceptions about Ichimaru were caused by Ichimaru himself. He spent so much time wearing a facade that it became second nature to him. He wore a mask and his face was beginning to fit it.*

Deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice three people approaching him. He stopped and looked at them. A large Arrancar with a nodachi, along with two non-threatening women. Wait a minute. That wasn't just any Arrancar. That was...

Matthias Iscariot let out a loud roar, "GIN ICHIMARU!" He lifted his hand and fired a sky-blue Cero.

Ichimaru effortlessly leapt away from the attack and drew his Zanpakuto in the same motion. "Pierce his flesh, Shinso." His wakizashi suddenly extended at an extremely fast rate, right toward Matthias' forehead.

Then he remembered something. Harribel didn't want any of them to be killed. But his Shinso had too much momentum, he couldn't stop it.

The tip of the blade came inches from Matthias' head, but something strange happened. A bone-esque substance protruded from his forehead and blocked the attack. The blade didn't touch any skin. It hit the bone and it stopped dead in its tracks, almost like it hit a brick wall.

* * *

A long time ago, Matthias was chained to a wall by both arms, drugged out of his mind. Matthias' chains were so low and tight that he had to kneel down, which made it seem like he was worshiping the three Soul Reapers who stood above him. Which Ichimaru guessed was Aizen's intent. "I want his Hierro to be stronger."

"Yes, sir." Ichimaru grinned. "I'll get right on that!"

* * *

 _I forgot that I was the one who gave him this unnatural Hierro._ Ichimaru said. _Ironic that an ability that I gave him would save him from me._ He extended his sword again, but this time in a slicing motion at the side of the Arrancar's head. He could hear the two female Arrancar yelling, but he ignored them. And his opponent did as well.

Matthias lifted his sword to block Ichimaru's attack, but the Arrancar was too slow. The bone substance shot out of his head and blocked the attack. Tiny chips of the bone flew into the air, but not enough to were Gin made any actual damage on the Arrancar.

* * *

Some time before the Winter War, and some time after he began his experiments on Matthias, Ichimaru was beginning to question why. So he went to Aizen with his question. "What makes this specific Arrancar so special? What impressed you so much when you fought him?"

"That Arrancar has an almost uncanny ability to adapt in combat."

* * *

 _It does seem that he's getting faster._ Gin noted as he retracted his sword again. _The first time I attacked he didn't have any time to react. This time he tried to block, but was too slow. Maybe that was because he expected to kill me with one attack and wasn't expecting a counter. I should test him further, to see if he really is as strong as Aizen thinks._

Matthias lunged toward Ichimaru, who pointed his sword away from him at a ninety degree angle from Matthias, then proceeded to swing it toward him, extending it at the same time. The swing might have been enough to hurt him. But Gin would never know, because this time Matthias blocked the attack with his sword.

The Arrancar let out a loud battle cry, then swung his blade down at the Soul Reaper's head. Gin turned his Zanpakuto to the size of a regular katana and blocked the attack.

"You think you're strong enough to over power me, Soul Reaper?" Matthias growled, pulling back his sword and swung down at him again.

Ichimaru effortlessly blocked the attack. "Come on, now, pay attention. I haven't released my Bankai. Doncha think that if I really wanted to kill you, I would've used that? Use your head, Mister Iscariot. The fact is, you aren't even worth killing, where you're at right now. It'd be a waste, considering how much potential you have."

"SHUT UP!" Matthias roared, sending a kick at Gin's chest. The attack might have broken a few ribs, but Ichimaru saw the attack coming. Rather than taking the full front of the attack, like a boxer, he allowed the blow to knock him away from his opponent rather than taking the full damage of the attack.**

"See? You're already moving faster and this might has only been going on for a little bit." Ichimaru said. The Soul Reaper suddenly flash stepped behind the Arrancar stabbing down at his back. But before he could attack him, a crimson cero glowed at each of his shoulder blades.

Gin completely abandoned his attack and leapt away from him. He held his Zanpakuto firmly in his right hand and pressed the back of the blade against his left hand. He let go of the grip, and with his other hand he knocked it upward in a spinning motion. The blade began to glow golden, then the cero slammed into his shield. Ichimaru stepped out of the way, right as the attack forced through the shield.

The blade fell down the ground, smoke forming all around it. At this point, it had returned to it's normal wakizashi form. Ichimaru lightly floated to the ground and sheathed his sword. "Well, I'm not going to get anywhere fighting you. I've seen what I want to know. Later." He turned away from them and proceeded to walk away.

"DON'T YOU DARE TURN YOUR BACK TO ME!" Matthias lifted his hand and charged up a crimson cero.

Loly grabbed his wrist. "Don't do it. If you kill him now, you'll never know what he meant by how much potential you have."

Menoly stepped in front of him, so the cero was pointed right at her forehead. "And besides... wouldn't it be better to kill him when he's using his Bankai?" She swallowed hard, "to show him how much stronger you are than him."

The cero vanished.

* * *

After a long, grueling - journey through the sands of Hueco Mundo Matthias, Loly, and Menoly made it to Las Noches. A young woman with red hair was waiting by the door, with a javelin in her hand. "Identify yourselves and state your business."

"I am Matthias Iscariot, and these are my companions Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia."

"I've heard of you guys." She stepped forward, gripping her weapon tighter. "So what the hell do you want with Harribel's castle? The moment you try to attack us, is the moment you seal your fate. If you draw your swords against us, you will be killed on the spot."

"Relax, we aren't here to attack," Loly explained, "if we were going to attack you, we wouldn't have walked right up to the gate, would we?"

"Then... what do you want?" He relaxed her grip on her weapon and leaned against the wall.

"We're here to join Harribel's forces."

"Is that right?" She smirked at them. "Finally get tired of sleeping in the sand? Sorry, but some dumbass destroyed all of our beds. If I got my hands on that guy..." She held out her hands as if she was dramatically strangling someone, "but that's neither here nor there. If you wanna join then you'll have to talk to Harribel. But I can't just let you in unsupervised. Yo, Grimmjow!"

"What?" Growled a voice from the inside.

"You're supposed to be watching the gate with me, not sitting inside the building. Come out here."

"It's a strategic move, you idiot. If someone were to surprise attack two people on the outside, then we'd both be killed for sure. But if I stay in here... I'd survive."

"Whatever, just take these three to Harribel."

The door opened, and Grimmjow grinned down at Loly. "How's it going?"

Loly swallowed hard, and took a step away. She bumped into Matthias and looked up at him. Would he still fight for her, even though he said that he wouldn't take orders from her?

His eyes were blank, unreadable.

"Come on. Let's go," Grimmjow ordered.

* * *

The three were escorted through the twists and curves of Las Noches, even though two of the three of them worked there for an extended period of time.

Eventually, they came to the roof, where Harribel was training a young man with a submachine gun. She wasn't going easy on him, either. She continuously shot her water at him, forcing him to keep Sonidoing away from her. Despite his high speed movements, he continued to rain bullet-hell on Harribel's chest, stomach, and face.

She immediately stopped and turned to them as they went through the door. "Relax now, Dingo."

Dingo vanished, almost before she finished talking.

The Tercera Espada turned to the new comers. "Why are you here, Matthias?"

"I would like to form an alliance with your forces. We will fight Baraggan together. However. If we are in a significant danger of dying, we will retreat."

Harribel walked closer to them. Despite being nearly three inches shorter than him, Harribel grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off of his feet. "I do not need soldiers who will run when the going gets rough. So what makes you think that I will accept you in my forces?"

Matthias remained unintimidated. "I don't think you listened to what I had to say. We're not _joining you_. We're simply _working with you_."

"What is the difference?"

"We're grouping up to defeat this enemy and nothing else. As soon as this war is over, we're heading out. No battle formed friendships, no bullshit. We fight, we kill, and then we leave."

"But you'll leave at the first sign of trouble."

"No we won't. We'll stand our ground. But we'll leave if we're about to die. Do you really expect anything more? Would you prefer soldiers to fight a losing battle and die, or regroup to live to fight another day?"

Harribel set him down. "I do not expect anyone to throw down their life for my cause." She grimaced and shook her head. As if remembering a soldier of hers that got killed. "But I will not tolerate cowards. If you leave before the battle gets going and one of my soldiers gets killed because of it, I'm going to hunt you down. And I'm going to kill all three of you."

Matthias nodded. "Seems fair enough."

Harribel turned to the two girls. "Are these conditions suitable for you?"

"Yes ma'am!" Menoly said, nodding quickly.

Loly looked at her, quizzically. "Do you really expect to defeat Matthias when that kid can wound you like that?"

"What?" Harribel asked. She looked down, seeing that she was coated in bullet-sized welts that were bleeding all over the place. Behind her nose-high collar she smiled. Dingo was getting stronger.

"Well?" Loly asked.

"That kid is stronger than you'd think. Anyway, I accept the conditions for your treaty. You will be added to my plan to defeat Aizen, however, we must test your abilities."

* * *

Lurk was stumped. She was trying to think of some way to convince Aizen that Ichimaru was a traitor. But the only decent chance she had was with Tosen, but she made him mad by saying that he'll kill him for being a Soul Reaper. No one else could help her, due to the fact that most of the actual intelligent people joined Harribel. She could unbiasedly say that she was one of the smartest person on Baraggan's team, second only to Tosen.

She only joined Baraggan because he had a more lawless view as to what Hueco Mundo should be and she agreed with him. Harribel wanted a more controlled version, where everyone had to listen to what she said. Maybe her goal of opposing Baraggan was noble, but as for the long term, Harribel's authoritarian Hueco Mundo would be much worse for the hollows and Arrancar. That's what Lurk thought, at least.

The Arrancar was at an impasse. If she waited for one of them to realize that she was right, it would already be too late for them. She couldn't convince Baraggan of Ichimaru's deceit without Tosen, and she couldn't convince Tosen of Baraggan's deceit without someone else's help. And Baraggan sure as hell wouldn't incriminate himself. It'd be convenient if Ichimaru returned, but it didn't seem as though that would happen.

Suddenly, an unmeasurable energy began to approach. It felt like a noose was tightening around her throat and the gravy increased by twenty.

Lurk struggled to make her way to Baraggan. "Lord Baraggan... what the hell is this... spirit energy?"

"It doesn't matter. They're going to pass us."

"But... what if they are hostile? Shouldn't we destroy them as soon as possible?"

"No. He is headed toward Las Noches. Which means that he's attacking Harribel's forces."

"And if he joins them?"

"Someone this powerful isn't going to join a faction this late in the game."

* * *

"LADY HARRIBEL!" Mila Rose roared as the Tres Bestias soared down the hallway. "Someone with uncanny strength is headed toward Hueco Mundo!"

"Our Ayon clones were crushed before they even got close to him!" Apacchi shouted.

"Which means we have no idea of who this person is, or what they're capable of." Sung-Sun finished.

"That means this person is at least as strong as Starrk..." Harribel shook her head, "gather the troops. We'll fight this being at Las Noches. Send the weakest of us underground to the safe house."

* * *

Harribel's forces were gathered. The long ranged fighters such as Harribel, Dingo, and the Tres Bestias were on the roof while the close ranged fighters such as Grimmjow, Solomon, and Ulquiorra remained at ground level.

The Tercera wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. The spirit energy was almost familiar... but she couldn't place it. It was just on the tip of her tongue...

Then two beings showed up at the horizon.

"Ulquiorra. Can you see who that is?" Harribel asked.

But before he could respond, the two vanished. They reappeared right in front of them.

Coyote Starrk looked around. "Thanks for the warm welcome, Harribel." He wasn't wearing a shirt, revealing several slash marks on his chest. He looked exhausted, like he was ready to fall asleep right there.

The mystery of Starrk's shirt was solved by the fact that Lilynette was wearing a shirt much too large for her. "My clothes got damaged during training," she explained when she saw Harribel eyeing her other half's exposed chest.

"What a strange phenomenon. From a distance it seemed almost like your spirit energies merged into one." Dingo said, "might be because your both the same person though. Your different spirits seeming as one made it hard to recognize you, hence the armed forces."

He leapt down off the building, grinning. "Now I don't have to fight Baraggan! Thanks, dude!"

Starrk stared at him blankly for a moment. "You're welcome, I guess."

"Coyote Starrk. After you get healed, I have a request for you." Harribel said.

"Go ahead."

"I need you to train some of my forces. There is no telling when Baraggan will attack again, so it needs to be fast. Maybe even faster than your training with Lilynette."

"I guess I can do it. But no promises, considering that Lilynette has the same potential to be strong that I have. So I have no idea if it'll work on anyone else."

"I'll train them with you." Matthias said.

Starrk glanced to Matthias, recognizing him. "When did you join this side?"

"My friends and I decided it would be best for everyone to join with you."

"The two girls traveling with him are some of the ones you need to train." Harribel said, "as well as Dondochakka and Pesche."

"I'll help you too, Starrk!" Lilynette said. "I can't wait to try out my new found strength on someone else!"

"If that is sorted out... I have to change my document once again." Harribel said, making her way back to the inside of the building.

* * *

Notes: Once again, I'd like to apologize for forgetting to post last week. And once again I'd like to request for someone to message me if I don't post by Sunday, because that would be rad.

I'm working with my buddy Fire lord 626 once again, the guy who gave me the idea for the story as well as my initial Beta Reader. I didn't want to let go of my previous beta, so now I've got two. We'll see how this goes...

*This line is a paragraph of George Orwell's quote "He wears a mask and his face grows to fit it", where all I really changed was the present to past tense so it fit with my story. I really think this line embodies Gin as a character, so I wanted to throw it in there.

**This technique is called rolling with the punches. I'm sure you've heard the phrase, but most people don't actually know where the phrase comes from. Just like in the story, a boxer will see an attack coming and move with the attack, rather than forcibly standing still. Sometimes when you see a fighter go flying from a weak punch, he's doing that.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Hellish Training

Starrk, Lilynette, Loly, Menoly, Matthias, Pesche, and Dondochakka trudged through the sands of Hueco Mundo. Las Noches was still in view behind him. Starrk now had his uniform back on, and his other half was wearing some clothes from Menoly.

"We've walked far enough." Starrk pointed to a half destroyed mountain in the distance. "We train there. Get there as soon as possible, or I'll send my wolves after you."

"Wait-" Loly shouted, but the two Primera vanished before she could finish the word. "-How quickly is as soon as possible?"

"I don't know, but we shouldn't screw with him," Pesche said, "if he sends his wolves after us it won't be pretty."

The remainder of the group used their Sonido to race there. Matthias effortlessly made it there before the other four.

"Why are you here?" Starrk asked. "You don't seem to need training like everyone else."

"I'm not here for training myself. I'm here to help you train those guys. A three on four training is much better than two on four, let alone one on four."

"I agree," Starrk said, "the closer a training session is to one on one the easier it be to teach, and the easier it'll be to learn."

"It's weird that someone so big wouldn't even get winded from moving that fast and that far," Lilynette commented.

"That is true. And about a week ago it would have tired me out. But... something happened that made me have to move faster." Matthias responded, remembering his battle with Ichimaru.

* * *

After a tremendously long time, the four arrived. First Pesche showed up, then about five minutes later Loly and Menoly arrived at about the same time, and about ten minutes after them Dondochakka arrived.

The large Arrancar was breathing heavy and covered in sweat. "I… think that's enough… training… for today…"

The other three were also tired with a hint of sweat, but they were not even close to Dondochakka's level of exhaustion.

"I don't know what training you guys are used to doing," Starrk said, crossing his arms. "But this training is nothing like anything you've ever experienced. So you guys will have to get strong quickly, or you'll die. I don't particularly want to do this, but I'm doing it because Harribel asked me to. I just want to sleep."

"Quit being such a baby," Lilynette told him, "you're just training some people. It's not like you're doing something extremely strenuous."

Ignoring her, Starrk went on. "Unlike humans, Arrancar can become significantly stronger in short periods of time. Unless you've already reached your maximum strength, such as Yammy, then you would have to become stronger by constantly feeding on strong Arrancar." He paused, briefly looking over his group. "That doesn't seem to be the case with any of you."

"Harribel would never have said that!" Dondochakka protested.

"Harribel won't kill you if you don't get stronger, either. But I will. Because the fact is that I'm not as nice as Harribel."

"What would you gain from killing us?" Loly asked, clenching her fists.

"If I let you live and remain weak, then you would be a heavy burden on the battlefield. Your teammates would stumble all over you while you tried your damnedest to be useful. You wouldn't be risking your own lives, but all of your allies lives too. But if you died here, they wouldn't have to worry about working with someone weak."

"You asshole!" Loly shouted, charging up a Cero.

Starrk was suddenly right in front of her, holding his hand out. The cero collided with his hand. The attack tore off his glove, but that was all. Not a single burn mark or even a scratch. He turned his hand around, revealing his number one tattoo. Reminding all of them that he was the Primera Espada.

"Draw your swords you four." Starrk ordered.

Menoly drew her sword, a one handed straight blade. Loly pulled out her dagger, which she had attached to her upper thigh- hidden by her skirt. Pesche pulled a sword hilt out of his loin cloth and a blade of reishi appeared in a katana-like fashion. Dondochakka opened his mouth and pulled out a large kanabo.

Starrk pulled his sword from his belt, sheath and all. He yanked the sheath off of it, and handed it to Lilynette. "Use this. I will use the back of the blade. Matthias, you use your fists. This will be a three on four battle. We can only use our weapons- or in Matthias' case just his fists- and hierro but no other techniques. The four of you can use anything you have at your disposal to defeat us."

Matthias tossed his Nodachi off to the side. Lilynette gripped her sheath and grinned.

"Begin." Starrk called.

* * *

Matthias advanced toward Dondochakka, assuming he was the strongest fighter. Dondochakka swung his Kanabo at him, which Matthias effortlessly blocked with his shoulder and punched him in the forehead with his other hand. The former Fraccion fell on his back immediately. "OW! My head!" He cried as huge tears filled his eyes, "I think you split my head open and my brain is going to leak out! Then I'll die and it'll be your fault!"

Lilynette engaged Menoly, and their weapons collided. The smaller Arrancar then began to push the larger one back several feet. Menoly charged up a cero with her free hand and shot it down at her. Lilynette pivoted her upper body to the left and her lower body upward, so her sword was still holding Menoly's down and the cero missed. With her momentum, Lilynette kicked her opponent in the side, knocking her to the ground.

Starrk hadn't moved. He didn't even lift his sword. Loly ran to his right side and Pesche took his left. Loly charged up a Cero and Pesche charged at him. He stabbed his sword into the ground and lazily blocked the cero with his palm, and caught Pesche's wrist with his other hand. He threw the swordsman over his shoulder, right into Loly.

"Is that all you four have?" Starrk asked. "That's pathetic. Get up and fight us again. Lilynette, discard the sheath. These four can't handle it."

Lilynette did as she was told, and Starrk gripped his sword from the dirt and tossed it to the side.

Loly managed to push Pesche off of her and rose to her feet. Pesche used his Zanpakuto as a way to help himself up. Menoly grimaced and gripped her side, but she still rose. Dondochakka was up a moment later.

"Matthias. Stand down for a bit. This is going to be a four on two match. If you can't handle that..." The Primera shook his head.

"Yes, sir," Matthias said, stepping away.

"Actually, I have a job for you. Hunt down some hollows for these four to eat."

"I'll be back in a minute." He sonido'd away.

Starrk turned at his opponents, an annoyed crossing his face. "Attack."

This time, all of them kept their distance. Starrk and Lilynette stood side by side, facing opposite directions. Pesche was just out of sword's reach on Starrk's right. Dondochakka stood facing Lilynette, a little further away than Pesche was. On Lilynette's left, Loly prepared for combat. And Menoly faced Starrk.

"Use your ceros!" Loly ordered. "If we attack all at once, they'll have to get hit by at least one!"

"Idiot," Starrk mumbled, "don't attack, Lilynette. Let them teach themselves a lesson."

All four charged their ceros. And they all released them at the same time. "Now!" Starrk called, and the two leapt into the air.

Pesche's cero collided with Loly's. Dondochakka's and Menoly's missed the other ceros, but they both hit the person opposite of them. Both fell to their knees as the stinging pain of a cero shocked through their bodies.

"What a novice move," Starrk mumbled, floating down to the ground. "If you're going to surround an opponent and all shoot long ranged attacks, you have to stagger your positions so you don't wind up shooting each other. That's basic group strategy."

"You... you're a... sadist!" Dondochakka groaned.

"A sadist? You think I enjoy this?" Starrk walked over and looked down at him.

Starrk's gaze shook Dondochakka to the very core. Although there was nothing remotely intimidating at his expression, the fact that he annoyed the Primera Espada made his stomach churn. "S-s-sorry... I didn't mean it."

Starrk pulled him to his feet and Lilynette did the same with Menoly. "You're going to keep attacking until you either learn fighting tactics or until you die."

* * *

Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Solomon, and Dingo were sitting in a circle on the floor. An awkward silence filled the room while the four worked on putting beds together.

"DAMN IT!" Grimmjow roared, hurling a half made bed across the room. "I can't do this shit! It doesn't make any sense!" His ferocious gaze suddenly turned to Dingo, "how the hell are you so good at this, you bastard?"

Dingo shrugged. He was already on his fifth bed.

"Quit yelling," Solomon grumbled, "you're disturbing the peace." Solomon was already on his seventh bed.

"You shut up!" Grimmjow roared, shooting to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at his face. "You should quit fighting and be someone's housewife!"

"Calm down, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra told him, "it is nothing to get worked up over." Ulquiorra was... only on his first bed. Much like Grimmjow, he was completely butchering his project. He wasn't tightening the string as he threaded it through, so he would pull it when he needed more, which would deform the bed.

"How on Earth am I supposed to do this shit if Ulquiorra can't?" Grimmjow groaned as he stomped across the room to retrieve his bed. Grimmjow's string was all tangled and knotted in odd spots.

"What do you mean? I am doing fine. While I am not working at a fast pace like Solomon or Dingo, it does not matter because this is not a race to see who can finish first. We are simply making beds that are worthy of sleeping in."

"... Yeah, whatever..." Grimmjow mumbled a few curse words as he continued working.

Meanwhile, Roka, the Tres Bestias, Nel, and Harribel herself were working on the same project elsewhere.

"Why does this come so easily to you?" Apacchi asked Roka, with the Fraccion having butchered three beds beyond recognition.

Roka was on her twentieth bed, even after teaching everyone else. "I don't know."

"Are you sure you've never done this before?" Mila Rose asked, who was on her first, but it wasn't horrible.

"Honestly, leave her alone." Sung-Sun rolled her eyes, "you two will never get your work done if you keep talking." To prove her point, she pointed to the five she had already completed.

"Your big mouth annoys the crap outta me!" Mila Rose said, cracking her knuckles.

"Calm down," Harribel ordered. The Tercera Espada herself was already up to seven.

Nel smirked. "You guys can never compete with me! As you can see... I've gotten at least a hundred done!" She dramatically pointed to a pile of cotton filled bags that would scarcely be considered pillows. "I guess hard work beats natural talent after all!"

"Uh... former Tercera..." Roka said as a smile crept across her face, "you, uh... aren't doing it right... also we've only been working it for an hour, so I don't think it's really considered hard work... yet..." She swallowed hard, "but uh... I... can't really say..."

* * *

A short while later, Ulquiorra was figuring out his flaw and correcting his previous strategy. He was beginning to move faster as well. It took a while at first, but now he was about the same speed as Dingo was.

Grimmjow, however, was not. He had yet to master a single bed, and his damn threads kept tying themselves together. He took a deep breath and slammed his bed into the floor and stood up.

"I need to take a break or I'm going to kill someone." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and hurled himself onto one of the completed beds.

"I do not see the need to take a break. This is a fairly interesting experiment." Ulquiorra said, continuing on with his project.

"INTERESTING?" Grimmjow threw himself off the completed bed and kicked his incomplete bed across the room. "A fight is interesting. This is just an enormous waste of my time!"

"Chill, dude..." Dingo said.

"If you can't handle it, then leave," Solomon ordered, "leave if your tiny brain can't figure out how to sew. However, leaving now will admit that you're a stupid brute that can't do anything but fight."

Grimmjow's nostrils flared. Solomon watched him carefully. Then Grimmjow went across the room to get his bed for the second time, and he continued to work at it.

Solomon deduced that Grimmjow probably already knew he wasn't good for much else aside from fighting, however, he also figured that if he challenged Grimmjow, the Sexta would do just about anything to prove him wrong. And that would hopefully include him sitting down quietly and doing his work.

* * *

The Tres Bestias seemed to be working fairly quickly. Right up until Mila Rose tried to move her bed to get into a better position and yanked Harribel's other Fracciones' beds away from them.

"Mila Rose!" Apacchi shouted, "what the hell are you doing?"

"That wasn't my fault, that was your fault, dipshit."

"No, it wasn't, you stupid gorilla!" Apacchi shouted, standing up.

Mila Rose also got up. "It was your fault, you dumb deer."

"We can discuss who's fault it is later. Right now, we need to untangle these strings while Lady Harribel is away." Sung-Sun interrupted.

* * *

Ichimaru looked to the mountain, where he could sense Starrk along with various others on the mountain. _I'll give them a few more days..._ He thought.

* * *

"GOD DAMN IT!" Yammy Llargo roared as he pounded his fist into the sand. "I can't stand waiting here like this! For too long we have just stood around doing nothing! I can't take it anymore! I have to kill something!"

"Then what's stopping you, oh great and powerful Espada Diez?" An Arrancar asked him, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Nothing. Nothing can stop me."

"Then go out there and do what you want."

Yammy hesitated.

"Come on. Don't tell me you're scared of the other Espada. You are Espada Cero, after all. That means you're stronger than them."

"Yeah! You're right, Rico! I'll go out there and kill some of Harribel's men! It'll be as easy as swatting flies!" Yammy stomped out of the area, walking toward the direction of Las Noches.

"What are you doing, Llargo?" Baraggan growled from behind him.

Yammy's blood ran cold as he turned around. "I was... about to kill some of Harribel's men..." The strength returned to his voice, "and being as I'm Espada Cero you can't stop me! Go ahead and try! I'll be able to punch through your respira."

"I hope you understand that your rank only means you have the strongest spirit energy. It does not mean you have the best fighting ability." Baraggan said, "you are strong, but you're slow. A fraccion alone would be enough to take you on, you piece of filth."

"You're an arrogant bastard, Baraggan! You can't beat someone like me!"

"Then let us battle." Baraggan gripped his Zanpakuto. "Rot, Arrogante." With a puff of smoke, he transformed into his Resurreccion.

Yammy swallowed hard and took a step back. That was when he knew he made a mistake. He couldn't take out Baraggan. He couldn't even take out Ulquiorra or even Grimmjow. He was going to die there.

"Being as you're one of my subordinates, I will give you one more chance to surrender." Baraggan said, "however, if you do not surrender now, I will kill you without hesitation."

"Yes- yes, sir!" Yammy called, stumbling back a step. "I- I'm sorry I ever doubted your power!"

Baraggan wordlessly transformed back into his sealed form. "Do not mistake my kindness for weakness, Yammy Llargo. Should you ever betray me again, I will have your head."

Yammy nodded and then took off.

"My forces grow restless," Baraggan said to an unseen observer.

"You say that almost as if you don't count me as part of your forces, boss." Lurk stepped out from behind his chair.

"How long were you standing there?"

She shrugged. "So your forces are growing restless. How can I help?"

"I want you to find Gin Ichimaru and tell him to hurry up."

"Lord Baraggan, I do not think Ichimaru is loyal to your cause. He seems overly eager to return to Las Noches too much. It can't be good, Lord Baraggan. Judging by how long his stays have become, his lack of information is nonsensical. And-"

"ENOUGH!" He roared, "if Ichimaru was betraying me, I would know! You are not smarter than me, Lurk! And neither is Tosen! So keep your mouth shut about matters you know nothing about! Do exactly as I say, if you want to remain part of my forces!"

Perhaps Lurk was wrong about Baraggan. Maybe he was about to lead an authoritarian Hueco Mundo. But he has been the ruler for countless years and he kept it very libertarian. Could the transformation into Arrancar have made him into the enemy? If so, it wouldn't be smart to remain at his side. But there was no way to tell.

"Why do you stand there looking at me as if I were a puzzle? LEAVE AT ONCE!"

Lurk Sonido'd away instantly.

* * *

Notes: The reason why Starrk is acting so mean is going to be explained next chapter, and it's not because he wants to sleep.

To Hallow: I kinda don't know what you expected from Nel's transformation. It's just Roka healing her, then Nel transforming into her adult form.

At this late in the game, I can't introduce any new characters to the fray in good conscious. The only exception would be Hugo, who is just there to make fun of people and is not actually going to participate in combat.

Don't read too much into Lilynette's uniform getting destroyed. Really, the only reason why I changed it is because I think Lilynette's uniform is really gross considering she looks like a little kid.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: The Battle Draws Near

"Master Starrk..." Pesche said, drenched in sweat and covered in bruises. "We... need a break."

"Do you now?" Starrk asked, scratching his head. "I suppose training with three absurdly strong people can be rather exhausting. You may rest."

During the break, Loly walked over to the Primera. "Matthias is really strong, huh?"

"Yeah."

"But you're strong too."

"What are you getting at?"

She smirked. "I'm thinking that he's going to try to take your rank of Primera Espada. But I don't think he's strong enough for that. So why don't you show him which one of you is truly stronger?"

"I am not a fool. I will not be coerced into a battle. The only reason why you would want us to fight is so you could get easier training."

Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to speak, but Starrk interrupted her.

"So... we will have a bout. To show you why you can't slack off in your training."

"YEAH! I'm rooting for you, Starrk!" Lilynette shouted.

"You're going to be in this battle too, Lilynette."

"Huh?" She asked, a puzzled look crossing on her face. "A two on one battle hardly seems fair."

"It's not a two on one battle. It's a one-on-one-on-one battle. Each person fights the other two. The only limit is no resurreccion. Do you agree to these terms, Matthias?"

He smirked, grabbing his sword. "Yeah. You two better not form a secret alliance."

"We won't," Lilynette said, cracking her knuckles. "Finally! I might even get to try out my new form!"

The three formed a triangle, so everyone was equal distance apart. "You can start on three," Pesche called from a safe distance away. All the other people in need of training were there too. "One... two... three!"

Lilynette immediately flew at Starrk, slashing down at him with her sword. He sidestepped her and shoulder bashed her toward Matthias.

The large Arrancar slashed sideways at her, but she threw her upper body backward and her lower body upward, which caused her to float in the air, just under Matthias' swing. Then she flew right between his legs, grabbed onto both of his ankles, and swung her legs up into the air. Her legs collided with his back, but a strange rock-like texture prevented her from actually doing damage.

Starrk was suddenly behind Matthias and stabbed at Lilynette, who Sonido'd out of the way. Matthias spun around and swung at the Primera, who stepped around the same direction and the same speed as his swing- which prevented the large man from hitting him. Starrk leapt up into the air, swinging at his shoulder.

Above them, Lilynette charged up a pair of ceros, aiming at both of them.

Starrk teleported out of the way, and Matthias lifted his arm to protect his face. When the smoke from the attacks faded, he didn't have a scratch on him.

 _That weird bone stuff must've defended him again..._ Lilynette thought. _So it defends him against physical attacks as well as energy attacks. He might be hard opponent to defeat._

Both her opponents were suddenly at either of her sides, Matthias stabbing at her and Starrk swinging his sword at her hip. She charged up a bala in each of her hands and her mouth, then used the force of the attacks to send herself flying down to the ground. She acrobatically caught herself in the air rather than slamming into the side of the mountain.

Starrk's and Matthias' attacks collided, but only the tips of their sword connected because they weren't targeting the other. Starrk darted in, stabbing Matthias' hand. The bone defended him once again.

Matthias swung his sword at him, but Starrk blocked the attack by using his sheath with his free hand and infusing it with spirit energy to prevent it from getting cut.

Starrk jumped away and put his sheath back at his hip. _A strange bone substance defended him. I wonder how long that'll work to keep him from getting cut. Lilynette attacked him before, and he escaped without a scratch every time. However, despite her training, she isn't as experienced in standard combat. She makes up for her lack of battle experience with the sheer unorthodox methods of her fighting style combined with speed similar to that of my own._ The Primera thought, locating both of his opponents before coming up with a plan.

 _The girl is one thing, but this guy's a whole new level._ Matthias thought. _While using a katana with one hand, he matched the swing of my nodachi with both hands. Then he blocked an attack with his sheath like it was nothing. I'm glad I joined Harribel's side, because if I had to fight these two in a real battle, I'd definitely lose._

"How long can that armor defend you, Matthias?" Starrk asked.

"Don't know. But we won't find out here, because you two aren't strong enough." Matthias lied.

"LESS STANDING AROUND AND MORE FIGHTING!" Lilynette roared as she was suddenly standing between the two, shooting ceros at them, which she had begun charging on the ground.

Starrk vanished from view to avoid the attack.

Matthias lifted his arm to defend his face.

After the attack hit Matthias, Coyote was suddenly standing behind him, stabbing into his back with both hands. The bone appeared and blocked the attack, but it cracked, which instigated Starrk to press harder.

He went to swing his arm at the Primera, but Lilynette was suddenly in front of him, swinging both her legs down at his head, as well as swinging her sword at the same time. Matthias could only defend against one of the two, because they were both just too fast to keep up with both. So he drew his sword and defected Lilynette's sword, but her kick still landed solidly on his shoulder.

Just then, the bone on his back decreased to compensate for the girl's kick, which made Starrk's blade penetrate two inches into his back. Blood dripped onto the blade and onto the ground.

He spun around, which tore the blade from his back, and shot a bala at his face. Starrk allowed the attack to hit him, as well as send him flying back.

Matthias then spun around again and with the momentum from his swing he punched Lilynette in the side of the head. The attack hit her, but instead of flying away like Starrk did, the momentum spun her around really fast like a pinwheel. As she was spinning she began to barrage balas. After a few attacks, Matthias was sent flying back, right next to were the Primera was sent. Wait a minute. Starrk was gone.

He was suddenly right next to Lilynette. He swung his sword at her shoulder, but she drew her sword and deflected his attack. She then threw herself into the air, and punched down at him with her left hand and stabbed at him with her right. Starrk quickly sheathed his sword and caught her weapon, which caused blood to drip down beneath them. With his free hand he caught her other fist, which nearly knocked his shoulder out of place.

Matthias suddenly flew into the battle, hammering a blow into Starrk's side. The attack hit him, but he Sonido'd away right as the attack him, which neutralized part of the damage. Matthias then punched at Lilynette's head, but she ducked and threw herself forward. Matthias went to follow up but she was suddenly above him, repeatedly kicking down onto his head. The bone appeared, but the continuous assault caused it to crack in several places.

Matthias swung both his arms up at her, which caused her to fly up out of the way. Matthias took a deep breath, but before he could release it Starrk shot him in the chest with a point blank cero. He didn't even know the Primera was standing there until the attack hit him. That guy was impossibly good at hiding his presence for someone so powerful.

Matthias hit the ground hard.

Lilynette slashed down at Starrk, who blocked the attack with his sword then drew his sheath, put spirit energy into it, and slammed it hard into Lilynette's side. She was sent hurtling to the ground, right on top of Matthias.

Matthias flung Lilynette off of him, then charged up a red cero and shot it at her. She dodged the attack and kicked him in the nose at the same time as stabbing into his chest.

Just like before, the bone appeared, but only half of it's normal strength, which caused her kick to give him a bloody nose. He let out a quiet growled and purple spirit energy began to wrap around his entire right hand. He threw a hard right at Lilynette's chest, aided by his spirit energy.

Sensing danger, Starrk suddenly appeared behind his other half and hurled her out of the way. He stabbed his sword into Matthias' hand. The bone substance appeared once again and defended him, but Starrk's sword suddenly glowed with spirit energy and his sword sliced through it like butter. Starrk's spirit energy disrupted the big guy's energy.

Blood ran down Matthias' hand. "That's enough." Starrk said, negating his own spirit energy and sheathing his sword. He turned to the trainees. "That may have gotten a bit out of hand, but you still got the picture, right? That if you fight one person as strong as any of us at your current level, you'll surely die."

 _He was holding back this entire time..._ Matthias thought. _That purple energy was surely my strongest yet but he stopped it with just one attack, as well as slicing through my defenses. That man is terrifying._ A hint of a smile tugged at his cheeks. _Maybe I can have a rematch with just him when this war has settled down. And when I'm stronger._

"Your wounds..." Starrk said, pointing to his hand.

Matthias looked down at his fist to see that the bone substance was covering his wound, as if it was a bandaid.

* * *

Nel was sitting alone in a room. She would have liked to have her former room back, but that was unfortunately renovated since her time as the Tercera Espada. Besides, that was also Harribel's room. The room she was currently in was formerly owned by an Espada, but they haven't returned to that room for quite some time, so she assumed it was either Granz' room or one of the Espada that joined Baraggan's group.

It was quiet without her two Fracciones. And the silence allowed her to think, even about things she didn't want to think about.

As much as Gin acted like an complete slime-ball sometimes, his actions were usually for the best. Why would he allow Nel to return to her older form, if he was actually working to Baraggan? But then, some men just want to watch the world burn. Maybe he let her get stronger because he wanted both sides to wipe each other out. She couldn't help him at this point. Harribel had already made up her mind.

Eventually, her thoughts drifted to her Fracciones. She knew that they would be fine with the Primera Espada, but she wondered if they would be okay in the war. If Starrk was training them there shouldn't be anything to worry about, considering how strong he made Lilynette in such a short time. But still... a sense of worry was building up in her chest.

She tried to change the subject. She thought about her transformation.

* * *

"Are you sure that this is going to work?" A young Nel asked Roka just before the operation.

"This is our best chance at turning you back into your adult form," Roka responded as she began preparing to help try a brand-new operating method. "So if this doesn't work, I'm afraid I can't help you any longer."

"Oh."

The two stood in silence for a moment. "May I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Well... I don't know for sure that this is going to be a success or not. If the worst happens, it might kill you. I have no experience with this sort of thing... so..." She swallowed hard. "Can you tell me again why you want to transform back into an adult?"

"I'm of no use as a child. As a child I can't heal anyone, I can't fight in a battle, I can't even cook. And Harribel's forces accept this and are willing to throw away their lives to protect me..." Her lower lip began to quiver. "I-I cannot accept that! I will fight with them on the battlefield or I will die trying!"

Roka began mixing Nnoitra's blood with a sample of Nel's own blood. "Put some spirit energy in this."

Nel did as she was told.

Roka carefully poured a drop of blood onto Nel's cracked mask, which began to glow. Spirit energy was beginning to leak out of the crack, almost like it was attracted to the blood.

"How exactly does this work?" Nel asked.

"It's working as if it's a magnet. The way spirit energy works is it sticks to itself, which is how cero are created. So I used his fresh blood to absorb his old spirit energy. And I mixed it with your blood- along with your spirit energy- to keep it from poisoning you further."

"So how long-" Suddenly she transformed into her adult form, and looked around. A big grin spread across her face. "YOU DID IT!"

Roka smiled, and bowed. "Welcome back to Hueco Mundo, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. May you protect others rather than be protected."

"I… I have to go talk to Pesche and Dondochakka!" A now adult Nel sprinted out of the room and careened down a hallway.

Eventually she found Pesche and Dondochakka sleeping. "Pesche! Dondochakka! Wake up!"

The two woke up and looked up. It only took them a second to realize that the crack in her mask had vanished. "Master Nel…" Pesche mumbled. "You're back…"

Both former Fraccion knelt down to the ground, in front of their master. "We are here to serve you, Master Nel!" Dondochakka shouted, tears filling in his eyes.

"You do not have to do that," Nel said, "I wanted to show you that I've returned because you are my friends, not because you are my subordinates."

* * *

Dingo was lying on the roof, looking up at the black sky. As much as some Arrancar seemed to hate the fake sky, Dingo didn't mind it. In fact, he preferred the fake sky. It was far less boring and depressing than just pitch-black darkness.

The young Arrancar was relieved that he no longer had to do intense training like he had before, but now he was extremely bored all of the time. He spent most of his time, lying on the roof, waiting for something to happen.

And something did happen. An Arrancar appeared out of nowhere and dropped down and held her sword to Dingo's throat. He casually looked up to see Lurk standing above him. "How did you get here without the Ayon clones noticing?"

"There are several weaknesses in the way that they operate. Being as there are so many of them, their search patterns become repetitive. And repetition becomes easy to predict. So all I had to do was watch and wait a safe distance away, then I could easily predict what their next movement would be, thus I could avoid them. As well as the fact that there are none of them in the air. One only has to fly high above them and they can easily avoid detection. Another flaw in their search patterns is that there are none anywhere on the roof of Las Noches. If one can get this far, all they have to do is quell their spirit energy and land."

"You're a clever little weasel, huh?" Dingo asked, slowly reaching for his gun. "Have you been here before? Or is it your first time?"

"I've been on this roof many times."

Dingo was suddenly standing directly behind her, his gun pushed up against her back. "If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you had the chance. If Baraggan was declaring war, he wouldn't have sent one Arrancar to do it. So what the hell are you doing? You expecting information out of me?"

"Where is Gin Ichimaru?"

"Who wants to know?"

"Me."

"What's your name, numb skull?"

"Lurk. And you?"

"My name is Dingo."

"Answer my question, Dingo." Lurk said, suddenly spinning around. He swatted his gun away with her shield and pointed her sword at his chest.

"If you are as good at spiritual energy manipulation as you seem to be... you would know that you can't cut me with that." Dingo stepped forward, pressing his chest into the blade. Not a drop of blood. "I'm far stronger than you, Lurk. Which means, you have no means to defeat me." He grabbed her sword and wrenched it from her hand, throwing it off to the side. "So. Why do you want to know where Ichimaru is?"

"I suppose there is no point in lying. Baraggan wants results. He wants his report on Harribel's forces. But I can't sense him. Despite his ability to turn his spirit energy to almost nothing, I can always sense him while he is here. But he's not here. Which means you either killed him or he left. And if he left, then he would have returned to Baraggan's forces."

"How can you be so sure that he would? He could be a double agent."

Lurk's eyes focused for half a second. Dingo smirked.

Dingo lowered his gun. "Your eyes just told me that you think that he is."

"What I think doesn't matter. What matters is..." She subconsciously averted his gaze for just a moment. "What Baraggan thinks."

"Earlier you said there was no point in lying. So why start now? Your eyes gave you away once again, Lurk."

"I want to know something..." Lurk said. "Why didn't you shoot me by now? Grimmjow would have killed me on sight."

Dingo shrugged. "Eh. Curiosity killed the cat. I wanted to know why you were here. Actually now that I think about it, curiosity didn't even wound the cat because the cat was..." He scratched his cheek to try to come up with something. "It was... actually a dingo."

"That was the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Clearly you haven't had a very long conversation with Yammy Llargo, then."

"For some reason… I have a feeling that you wouldn't have killed me even if I could have cut you."

He shrugged once again. "Maybe. This is also the first time I've had a conversation with an enemy that wasn't trying to kill me."

Lurk looked him in the eye. "Why haven't you shot me yet, Dingo? Is it because Harribel told you not to?"

"She mentioned once that she didn't want any casualties. But... it's not like she'll stop me from killing you or anything."

"So you'll get in trouble."

"Getting in trouble won't stop you from bleeding to death."

Lurk smiled. "As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I need to find Gin Ichimaru."

"And I don't particularly want to be accused of fraternizing with the enemy."

Lurk grabbed her Zanpakuto and vanished, and Dingo went right back to lying down on the ground. Like it never happened.

* * *

Nel got up from lying on the floor- being as all the beds were pooled together in the one room- and she navigated the seemingly never-ending hallways of Las Noches. She eventually managed to find Harribel.

"What do you need, Nelliel?" Harribel asked.

"I... can't stand around anymore. I want to go help train my friends."

"If you're sending her, I'm going to."

Harribel looked passed Nel to see Grimmjow leaned against the wall.

"I wanna... train with Matthias."

"Sending Starrk and Lilynette away was one thing. But losing two more Espada leveled fighters would be detrimental to our fighting forces. Should Baraggan send in a sneak attack, we would be mostly helpless."

"But he can't send in a sneak attack because of your Fracciones' Ayon clones that are runnin' around," Grimmjow said, cracking his knuckles. "Sitting around all day is boring as hell. I need to get some actual training in or I'm going to become a rusty sword."

"And I'm going crazy just sitting here," Nel added.

"If we were alerted of Baraggan's pursuit, they may arrive in time before a messenger could go and retrieve you, due to the fact that the mountain is a significant distance away."

"I thought you trusted me, Harribel?" Nel asked, a hurt look in her eyes.

Harribel thought for a moment. "It's not that I don't trust you-"

"Then you should know that we'll return here as soon as possible. Grimmjow will keep his training short and concise, and I'm just going to check in on my friends. Come on, ppppppllllleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaassseeeeee?"

Harribel took a deep breath. "Fine. Return within a day, both of you. Or there will be dire consequences."

"Thank you!" Nel gave her a hug that might have broken her spine if she was less strong before she and Grimmjow took off through the sands of Hueco Mundo.

* * *

 _It would seem that Lurk is trying to find me._ Ichimaru thought. _Perhaps I should lead her as far away from Baraggan as possible before revealing myself._ He let out a tiny bit of spiritual energy before flash stepping away as far away as he possibly could in one leap.

He felt Lurk's energy beginning to follow him. He Flash Stepped further down Hueco Mundo.

* * *

"Nel and Grimmjow are coming," Starrk announced, floating high above the ground.

"Why are they coming here?" Lilynette asked, surrounded by the trainees, who were trying to stagger their positions to attack her with ceros. "Is Nel getting some training in?"

"This is Nel in her adult form. I doubt she really needs training."

"Oh. Then why is she here?" Lilynette asked as she leapt above the attacks and shot balas at all of them.

"Dunno. We'll find out pretty soon."

Within a minute, the two arrived.

"Whoa! You picked a pretty distant spot to train at, bro!" Nelliel said, floating up to his level. "Whatcha doing up here?"

"Watching Lilynette train them. At first we attempted to train them with all three of them at once, but then they proved to weak and inexperienced to handle that. So we tried with just Lilynette and I. Still, they were not strong enough. Now just Lilynette is fighting them and they hold somewhat of a chance."

"Oh. I won't interrupt their training by the way, I'll wait until they're on break so I can talk to them!"

Grimmjow was looked around, an annoyed expression on his face. "Hey, where's that jackass Matthias? I wanna kick his ass."

Starrk lowered himself down to his level and scratched his chin. "Why do you want to fight Matthias?"

"Because I'm an Arrancar, that's why! Because fighting is what defines us!"

"Statements like that is why Baraggan opposes Harribel so much." Starrk said, resting his hand on his sword. "Matthias is currently gathering hollows for these people to eat. He should be back soon."

Matthias returned, carrying countless hollows on his shoulders. He dropped them on a pile.

"Now eat!" Starrk called, "as weak Arrancar, you need to eat to increase your strengths!"

"Why are you being so mean, bro? That's not like you at all." Nel pointed out.

Starrk ran his fingers through his hair. "I'd prefer not to insult them. However, negative reinforcement seems to be necessary for them to get stronger. If it didn't seem to be helping, I wouldn't be doing it. Look at the determined look in their eyes."

Nel focused, and looked at their eyes. It was true. They had a very focused look about them as they gorged themselves on the hollows that lay waiting to be eaten.

"They're determined prove me wrong about them. An Arrancar's will to prove everyone wrong is almost as strong as their will to survive."

"Huh. I guess so, yeah."

Meanwhile, Grimmjow grinned at Matthias. "Are you ready to settle this thing?"

"I have no score to settle with you."

"Bullshit! I kicked your ass the last time we meet! And you sure have gotten stronger sense then. Which means you have to prove to me that you're no longer weak!"

"I don't have to do anything, Grimmjow," Matthias responded plainly.

"Then you're still weak!" Grimmjow laughed. "You're still the same Arrancar that I kicked around the last time we fought and you're afraid that I'll do it again!"

"I'm not afraid of you, Grimmjow," Matthias growled.

"Then prove it. Come on! ATTACK ME!" His grin was becoming a ferocious mask that had no reason to call itself a smile. With a look like that, there was no trying to convince him of anything.

"Fine." Matthias drew his Nodachi, and gripped it with both hands. "I'll teach you that you're were never stronger than me."

Grimmjow laughed, "what the hell happened the last time we met? Was that someone else?"

"No. I was recovering from-"

"I don't give a shit what you were recovering from. You lost and that was it. You can make up as many excuses as you want as to why, but I won and that's it!"

Matthias clenched his teeth and swung his enormous sword down at Grimmjow's shoulder. The Espada dodged the attack and punched him hard in the nose. Or, would have, if the bone didn't defend him. "What the hell is this?" Grimmjow asked.

Matthias let go of his sword with one hand and smacked Grimmjow in the side. The Sexta was flung into the ground. He landed on his feet and growled, "you think you can just put your hands on me and get away with it, you bastard?"

The big guy just stood silently, regaining his grip on his sword.

Jaegerjaquez flung himself into the air and drew his sword. He gripped his sword with one hand and stabbed downward at the Arrancar. Matthias went for a counter-strike, but the Espada pivoted out of the way, and his sword stabbed into the bone that protected Matthias' shoulder.

"DIE!" Grimmjow howled as he shot a cero right in Matthias' face. As soon as he released the technique, the Espada leapt off of him, and examined his sword. The tip was covered in blood up to about an inch. "This sure as hell ain't my blood. So I think I found a weakness in your defense, Matthias!"

Matthias rubbed his face. Anger began to boil up all around him. He bounded toward the Espada, hurling his sword at him. He threw it in such a way that the weapon was spinning around in an uncontrollable fashion, so his opponent would have no way to tell if the blade would hit him or not.

So Grimmjow dodged to the side instead, which is exactly what Matthias expected. The big guy slammed a hard left into his jaw, but Grimmjow responded with a stab to the elbow and a bala to the chest at the same time. The bone couldn't defend against both at the same time, so he took damage from both at the same time.

Rather than waiting for him to attack again, Matthias reached out and grabbed the Sexta by the throat.

Rather than fighting the larger man's grip itself, Grimmjow charged up two ceros, dropping his sword in the process.

Matthias threw him to the side, forcing his ceros to miss. Grimmjow charged up a cero, then Sonido'd to grab his sword. Matthias began to charge up his own cero, and stepped on Grimmjow's sword. The two meet in the middle, with an explosion of energy. Matthias was knocked back enough to were Grimmjow could grab his sword and then he leapt into the air. His jacket was torn all up the right sleeve, revealing burn marks running down his entire arm.

 _I get it. He's fast, but he's not as fast as I am. As much as I hate to admit it, he's stronger than me. So as long as I can continue to dodge his attacks, he won't be able to beat me. And if I keep moving the way I have been, he won't have time to hit me with another one of his ceros, so he won't even bother to charge another up._

Grimmjow slashed down at him, but Matthias slashed up at him once again.

This time, the Sexta vanished from the air and stabbed at his chest while kicking at his legs.

The kick slammed hard into his leg, but the damage of the stab was reduced to nothing because of that goddamned bone. Grimmjow jumped away from another attack.

"How... the hell are you faster than Ichimaru?"

"You fought Ichimaru?"

"Yeah. And I forced him to retreat."

Grimmjow laughed once again. "You dumbass! If he really wanted to kill you, he could have! That Soul Reaper is faster than even me!"

"Why would he hold back?" Anger was once again finding its way into the Arrancar's voice.

"How the hell should I know? I'm not him. We've talked enough. It's time for you to die!" Grimmjow flew through the air, stabbing at his chest. Matthias began to react to him, but Grimmjow Sonido'd and swung his sword at Matthias' exposed back. Suddenly a massive reptilian tail appeared from his tailbone and smacked Grimmjow into the ground. _What the hell? He has a tail?_

Grimmjow grabbed the tail with both hands and tried to peel it off of him. Unfortunately for the Espada, the Tattooed Arrancar was far stronger than him. Grimmjow pulled his hands up, so they were facing upward into his tail. He began to barrage balas into the tail, right up into Matthias reacted enough for him to fly out of it.

Grimmjow grinned despite dropping his sword again. "Never knew you had a tail. Maybe you should've used it when we fought before!"

Matthias wordlessly smacked the tail into the ground and leapt into the air, aided by the impact of the tail hitting the ground. He swung his massive blade down at Grimmjow who dodged and shot a cero into his side and at the same time shot a cero into his shoulder.

When the smoke cleared, Grimmjow's eyes widened. The balas tore through his clothes, revealing his tattooed skin. But... there wasn't even a hint of a wound. No blood, no bruising, and especially no burn marks. "What the hell _are_ you?"

"I am an Arrancar that can adapt to anything," Matthias boasted as he leaned his sword against his shoulder. "Not long ago, I did not have this bone armor. Not long ago, I wasn't this fast. This battle is over, Grimmjow."

"Don't you dare just leave!" Grimmjow roared, "I'm not finished with you!"

"It's over, Grimmjow," Someone said from behind him. The Sexta's eyes widened as he turned to face Starrk. "If you raise your sword any longer, I'll have to stop you myself."

* * *

Many days later Starrk, Lilynette, and Matthias were all three facing off against Pesche, Dondochakka, Loly, and Menoly. Now, the three stronger opponents were allowed to use any technique or weapon at their disposal.

Loly and Menoly were able to hold off Starrk for a little while, but they were always defeated in the long run because of Starrk's superior speed. Pesche could keep Lilynette from hurting him for almost five minutes before she would defeat him. Dondochakka was able to go toe-to-toe with Matthias for for a little while, but always lost to his tremendously powerful and fast strikes.

"The four of you have gotten stronger by an unthinkable amount," the Primera pointed out. "While you cannot defeat us, do not think you are still weak- because you are not. You were able to face off against two Primera and another insanely strong opponent. Holding us off for as long as you can is a strong enough feat on it's own. While you cannot fight Baraggan or even Harribel now, you can definitely hold your own against a non-Espada leveled opponent."

Pesche sniffed loudly and wiped a tear from his eye. "Thank you, Master Starrk. It really means a lot to me that you would be willing to train us so we can stand alongside Master Nel."

"I would also... like to apologize. I've been very hard on you four this entire training session. But that was only to push you harder. All four of you have every right to hate or even despise me. But whatever feelings you have toward me, I suggest that we deal with them after the battle is over." Starrk looked around at the four. "I would also like to have one final test. This will be a test of speed, to see who can get to Hueco Mundo first."

Starrk and Lilynette vanished immediately, making it to Hueco Mundo almost instantly. Matthias made it there after another second. Starrk turned and looked to the sands. But he didn't have to look for long.

Pesche arrived within fifteen seconds, with Loly directly behind him. Menoly arrived at twenty, and Dondochakka arrived at twenty-five.

"Hey, at least we know that if we can't fight someone one-on-one, we can always just run away!" Pesche laughed.

"PESCHE AND DONDOCHAKKA!" Nelliel shouted from the roof. She leapt off and tackled the two. "I missed you guys so much!"

"We missed you too, Master Nel," Pesche told her.

"No more Master Nel! Just Nel!"

"O-okay..."

The former Tercera rose to her feet and shook Starrk's hand. "Thanks for taking care of them, bro."

"Why do you keep calling him that?" Lilynette asked.

She smiled sheepishly. "Well... I look up to him like an older brother... so I thought bro would be fitting..."

"Like a cool older brother, huh?" Matthias asked. "I can see it."

"No, like the aloof and lazy kind!" Lilynette sneered.

* * *

Ichimaru arrived to Baraggan's fortress of sand and handed him a piece of paper.

"You sure as hell took your time, Soul Reaper."

"Sorry. She hid it in a very secure spot. I couldn't get to it very easily without suspicion."

"Speaking of suspicion, several of my men have come forward, saying that you are planning on betraying me. Is that true, Ichimaru?" He glared into Ichimaru's eyes, as if he could make him tell the truth.

Gin grinned like a maniac. "If you want me to tell the truth..." He waited a moment to access the situation. _Lurk is hidden nearby, I can sense her. And Tosen is standing right there. If I killed Baraggan right here, I would soon be double teamed by those two. I could end this war, but at the cost of my own life. As much as I understand the necessity Harribel's cause, I don't care about it enough to die for._

"To tell me the truth?" Baraggan asked, readying to get out of his chair.

"To tell you the truth, I haven't decided yet. I'm a snake. Cold of flesh, devoid of heart. My tongue flicks back and forth, ever in search of new prey... and if I like what I find, I swallow 'em whole."

"And what does this 'prey' entail?"

"As of right now? Harribel and her forces. After we eliminate all of them, I haven't decided what I'll do. I might shoot my Zanpakuto through your chest while you least expect it. I might bow down and allow you to lead me around like a domesticated dog. Or, I might just leave for good and never come back. Only time will tell, Baraggan Louisenbairn."

"You have just earned yourself a short leash, Soul Reaper."

"A short leash? Someone as strong as me put on a short leash is only asking for trouble. I would advise putting me on the front lines."

"No. You fight where ever Tosen tells you to. If he tells you to engage Starrk, you will. If he says to tank an attack for him, you will. If he tells you to disembowel yourself on your Wakizashi, then you will."

 _Damn, I hoping he would force me to stay near him. Then I could stab him in the back before he could fight Starrk. I suppose killing Tosen isn't the worst situation possible._

Baraggan rose from his seat. "Now, spread the word that we attack as soon as my forces are mobilized. We enact Tosen's plan."

"And what would that be, boss?"

"That is right. We came up with this plan while you were away."

 _Be ready, Tier Harribel. Because the battle is coming to you soon. Sooner than expected..._ Ichimaru thought.

* * *

Notes: To Hallow: I can't really speak on Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online, being as I watched fifty or so episodes of Fairy Tail and decided I didn't like it and I never watched any of Sword Art. However, I can speak for the Lilynette example.

For simplicity's sake I'm going to refer to their fused form as simply Starrk, even though they stated they didn't remember which one of them it looked like- if it looked like either of them at all. Anyway, so before Starrk de-fused he was powerful. So powerful that he could kill weak beings just by being near them. And that made him terrifying. And what is the least scary thing you can think of? A short anime girl who cries when things get taken from her. So, pure speculation by the way, Starrk created this being with this in mind. What I think is that he subconsciously made Lilynette the way she is because he simply didn't want people to think that he was scary anymore. After all, no one wants to work with a scary person.

The difference between Nel and Lilynette is that Nel was an adult that transformed into a child because of weird Arrancar stuff and Lilynette is an artificial child who was created via another character's soul. So in my opinion, it doesn't really make much sense for her to be aged up. But I would also like to say that I definitely understand people's motivations for aging her up now. It's just something that I personally don't want to do.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Strategy

"LADY HARRIBEL!" Appachi screamed, sprinting down the hallway. "LADY HARRIBEL!"

"What is it?" Harribel asked, meeting her at the door.

"Baraggan's forces… are approaching. But there's a big problem."

"What is that?"

"They... they all look like Baraggan!"

"Where are Sung-Sun and Mila Rose?"

"They're waking everyone up... what do we do?"

* * *

Soon, all of the Arrancar were gathered outside. Dingo had been keeping watch outside, so he was currently out of the loop. "What the hell is going on here? Is Baraggan attacking us?"

"Yes."

Several people mumbled through-out the crowd.

"There is a complication. Every single one of them appears to be Baraggan."

"Come again?" Grimmjow asked.

"All of them look as if they were all Baraggan Louisenbairn."

"How do we know who to fight?" Menoly asked, panic rising in her voice.

"What the hell are we supposed to do?" Daliza clenched his shaking fists and took a step back. "This... this is too much..."

Matthias put his hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. I'm sure Harribel has a question."

"While everyone was assembling outside, I tested this theory, so it is very sound. Everyone of them appears to be Baraggan. However, their spiritual energies haven't changed. He was expecting us to be too scared to use our pesquisas. Starrk. Tres Bestias. Ulquiorra. All of us will approach first. I will offer him a treaty. After he doesn't accept, we will start the battle. What is their formation like?"

"They are splitting up," Apacchi said, "they were originally bunched up together but now they're splitting into much smaller groups."

"If Ulquiorra does not return within five minutes, assume the worst," Harribel said, "you all know who you are to face. I won't have to tell you that."

Mosqueda pounded his fist into his chest, which made a loud slamming sound. "No matter what happens, we will remain loyal to your ideas."

Harribel, Ulquiorra, Mila-Rose, Apacchi, Sung-Sun, and Starrk began walking away.

"Why... why aren't you with them, sis?" Nel asked, with a worried look on her face.

"There's something I need to do before joining Starrk," Lilynette said indifferently.

"But... don't you think that he'll get hurt?"

"No. Coyote won't get hurt. I'll only take a moment."

* * *

Harribel's small group was covering ground remarkably quickly. Although, without the Tres Bestias, they would be moving significantly faster.

Everyone of them was nervous aside from Ulquiorra. The Cuarto noticed that Apacchi was visually shaking, Mila-Rose's lip quivered, and Sung-Sun was holding her Zanpakuto while she ran, even though it was held firmly by the stitching she applied to the inside of her sleeve.

Harribel kept adjusting her collar to stay over her nose. As if she was trying to hide behind it. And Starrk kept glancing over his shoulder, as if he was afraid someone would attack them from behind. No, that couldn't be it. He would notice anyone immediately with his pesquisa. He must be worried about Lilynette.

 _While everyone seems to be worried about their own well being, Lord Starrk seems to be worried about his partner's well being. Quite interesting indeed._ Ulquiorra thought.

"Listen," Harribel called, which broke Ulquiorra away from his analysis. "If a battle breaks out, you three need to get as far as way as you can."

"I'm sorry, Lady Harribel..." Apacchi swallowed hard. "But... there's no way... IN HELL WE'LL ABANDON YOU!"

"The three of you are here for one reason and one reason alone. You are here to monitor where everyone is." She turned to Ulquiorra. "And if any of them get too close to my forces, you are to return there as quickly as possible. However, your main objective would be to return to them to say weather or not this final plea fails or succeeds."

"Yes, Lady Harribel."

"Starrk, you and I will have to fight him, should he prove to be too much of a threat. If you can, Sonido him away from the Tres Bestias, like you did the last time you fought him."

The Primera nodded wordlessly.

After traveling in silence for another few minutes, they found Baraggan. The real Baraggan. His spiritual energy was undeniable proof.

"It seems you have changed your strategy from what information Ichimaru gave me." Baraggan said.

"Baraggan Louisenbairn, listen to reason. No one else has to die in this battle. We can form a treaty. We-"

"Enough. The only treaty that I will accept is if you surrender now and every single person here throws themselves on their own Zanpakuto. Then I'll use all of your heads to show the rest of your forces just how weak Tier Harribel is." He turned to Starrk. "And you, as the Primera Espada it is disgraceful for you to allow this woman to lead you around as if you were just another one of her dogs."

"Sorry, but you'll find there aren't any dogs here," Starrk said, breaking his silence. "There are only wolves. And that applies to all of Harribel's forces as well. But your side... it's filled with starved, mangy-wild dogs. No matter how hungry they are, there is no way that they can take us down. Do the smart thing and call off this before any more people have to die. Rudbornn Chelute on our side and Sartino Juare on your side. Neither had to die, but they died anyway because of this pointless war."

"How did you know that name?" Baraggan asked.

Starrk silently cursed himself for being so careless. "That isn't important. The important thing is-"

"There is no way that you would have known that name. Unless you personally meet him or unless there is a rat amongst my men."

"Aizen had a list of dead Arrancar on paper."

"And I had that paper."

"Who is to say that he didn't have more copies?"

"Enough bullshit, Coyote Starrk!" Baraggan roared, "you only know the name because someone on my side is giving you information. Tell me who it is!"

"There is no such person."

"Then it's Gin Ichimaru, then? That slimy bastard... I should have killed him when I had the chance."

"What of the negotiation?" Ulquiorra asked, attempting to bring it back on track.

"My forces are not actually going to attack. They will take their positions, but they will not attack until their opponent arrives. That is the order." Baraggan crossed his arms. "However, I will not wait. I will attack now."

He went for his sword but Starrk was suddenly at his side, grabbing the sword's handle, preventing the Segunda from drawing his sword.

"Harribel. Fight your opponent. I will hold Baraggan off until Lilynette returns."

Starrk vanished from the air, along with Baraggan.

"Find your opponents." Harribel ordered Ulquiorra and her Fracciones. "I will return to our forces and tell them personally."

"Lady Harribel…" Apacchi called out.

"You three have stuck with me through thick and thin. It is very admirable of you to put up with me for that long. I understand that I can be quite cold… but I want all of you to know that I appreciate you. Mila-Rose. Apacchi. Sung-Sun. The three of you are some of the strongest people I have meant. Don't let me down."

Each of their eyes watered. Sung-Sun turned away, but Apacchi and Mila Rose allowed their master to see their tears.

"We… won't let you down, Lady Harribel!" Apacci cried.

* * *

Harribel quickly arrived back at Las Noches. Her army had been waiting nervously for her return.

"Well?" Dingo asked. "Being as you returned instead of Ulquiorra, I assume something happened."

"The war has started. Everyone find your opponents. Starrk told me that he could hold Baraggan off on his own while Lilynette took care of her business with the Septima. I have already ordered the Tres Bestias and Ulquiorra to find their opponents."

Dingo grinned. "Then we attack?"

"Yes. The rest of you attack. However, I want all of you to listen to me. Baraggan's forces are stronger than ours. Aside from a select few of us, we are quite weak as a whole. However, we have superior numbers and we have strategy. Baraggan is so arrogant that he's having all of his forces wait until someone attacks them before they begin to attack us. As long as you stick to our strategy, we can not lose. But make no mistake. Do not get overconfident or you will die. Underestimate them, as they have of us, and we will lose. For better or for worse, this is the final battle. We have no choice but to win!"

"Harribel…" Dingo asked. "Remind our non-battle oriented friends why we're fighting this war. Unlike people like Grimmjow and I, some of us need an actual reason to fight."

"Aside from every one of our deaths, Baraggan states that he will have a regime of pure carnage. Death and destruction will rule everything. Betrayal for power will become commonplace. While hollows and Arrancar need to kill to survive, under me, we will kill as few as possible. We have order now. We cannot simply revert back to how we were before Aizen made us into Arrancar."

* * *

Zommari Rureaux, in his appearance as Baraggan, was waiting patiently for an opponent, not far from Las Noches.

Someone rather strong appeared behind him in the blink of an eye. Zommari turned to see someone he didn't expect to have such strong energy. Lilynette Gingerback stood facing him.

"Turn off the illusion," she ordered.

"Even though you are a Fraccion and I am an Espada, I will listen, but only because I would much rather fight in my own skin than this horrendous Baraggan illusion. I suggested transforming into Lord Aizen, but that was-"

"Shut the hell up," Lilynette growled as she began glowing with emerald energy. "I'm going to kill you Zommari. Do you know why?"

"I do not."

Suddenly the energy began to form around Lilynette's body. "You killed Rudbornn Chelute. Do you remember that?"

"What is it to you, girl?"

"You don't understand anything! You... made Starrk cry!"

"Cry? He is more of a child than I realized."

Rage burnt across Lilynette's face. "Draw your sword, Zommari. Killing an opponent who hasn't drawn his sword will leave a bad taste in my mouth."

"I will not draw my sword against a mere child. No matter how strong your spirit energy is you are-"

Lilynette was gone and a red liquid was splattered all over the sand. Zommari looked down at it. _Blood? What happened? Did someone cut me...?_ He looked down at his chest to see five, inch-deep slash wounds in his chest.

"What's wrong, Zommari? Is this child too fast for you?"

The Espada immediately shook himself from his stupor and drew his sword as he spun around. His eyes widened at what he saw. He could barely even scream before razor sharp claws pierced his throat.

* * *

"You will regret laying your hands upon me, Primera Espada. Rot and die. Arrogante."

Starrk leapt away and shot a cero at him, right as the Espada began to transform. His respira ate the attack away as if it never existed.

Baraggan advanced and at the same time shot his respira forward. Starrk soared high over head, looking down at the Segunda.

"Did you become the Primera Espada by running away from all of your opponents?"

"No. I got my opponents right where I wanted them and I crushed them with my spirit energy alone."

"Big words for man who is too afraid to draw his sword."

"Fear has nothing to do with it. I just know that I won't have to use it."

"More like... you won't have a chance to use it."

Baraggan suddenly turned and looked around as an terrifyingly strong spiritual energy began to get close to them. Then it was floating right above him before he even realized.

"Transforming to fight a person who hasn't even drawn their sword? Doesn't fit the Baraggan that I know," Lilynette growled, "the Baraggan I know would be so arrogant as to have all of his forces appear to look like him. Then he would toy with his opponent until he thought transforming was his last option."

"SILENCE!" For the first time, Baraggan looked up at her. But a little girl wasn't what he saw.

An emerald colored werewolf floated over-head. The beast had blood-stained claws and fangs as sharp as daggers. "If you weren't so arrogant you would have realized that I killed Zommari. And what was he? The self-proclaimed fastest Espada?"

"Your constant boasting grows annoying. Anyone could kill Zommari."

Lilynette appeared next to Starrk. "If that's so, then what's the point of having him on your forces?" Starrk asked.

"Enough talking. It is time for the two of you to die!"

* * *

Notes: This is Lilynette's different form. She coats herself in spirit energy and manipulates it into taking the form of a werewolf. Starrk was able to make swords out of spirit energy (as well as wolves in his second Resurreccion state), so someone with similar spiritual energy control should be able to do something like this without much of a real problem.

To Hallow: I've never heard of Metal Gear Solid Revengeance. I briefly played one of the Metal Gear games, but I only got like two minutes into the game.

With the "bro" thing, I was troubled with what Nelliel should call Starrk. We never get to see her interact with an Espada that was higher ranked than her (and it is very possible that Starrk was the Primera at that time, due to his power) and I wanted her to look up to him, kind of like a younger sibling to an older brother. But I was troubled with what she would call someone that she looked up to. Master or Lord (which is what weaker characters frequently refer to their superiors as) seemed WAY too formal for Nel's personality, and Mister Starrk didn't seem to fit either (also didn't want to reference the infamous line from Infinity War). One of my betas suggested using familial honorifics, which is what I settled on.

Hallow... my man... Make an account. Communicating via reviews and authors notes is a rather roundabout way of talking, don't you agree? While we could be talking directly to each other, you have to wait about a week to hear back from me. Also, if you make an account, I have a proposition for you.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The Fastest Gun in Hueco Mundo

Harribel's forces were dispersing from were they were clumped around just outside of Las Noches.

"I'll see you later, Harribel," Dingo said before he vanished.

"Lady Harribel, wasn't Dingo supposed to fight alongside you against Tosen?" Serveriano asked with a touch of annoyance in his voice.

"We have already sorted that out," Harribel explained, "he told me about an opponent that simply couldn't be left to the Tres Bestias to fight. So he's finding that person as we speak."

* * *

Grimmjow and Nnoitra found each other rather quickly, being as both were searching for the other. The illusion on Nnoitra had already worn off, but Tesla's was still active.

"You sure aren't wastin' any time, huh?" Nnoitra grinned, drawing his weapon.

Grimmjow smirked, drawing his own sword. "What does it matter to you, asshole?"

"Trying to rile me up, eh? Well it won't work, dipshit."

"What do you wish me to do, Master?" Tesla asked.

"Stand down," Nnoitra ordered. "I'm killing this guy myself."

"Killing me, huh? You couldn't even kill me when you attacked me from behind after I was already injured." A psychotic grin masked Grimmjow's face. "You couldn't kill me if you tried!"

"You son of a bitch..." Nnoitra gripped his weapon with both hands and swung it down at Grimmjow.

Grimmjow blocked the attack with his sword, and the two pushed all their weight behind their attacks. Nnoitra was taking the advantage, due to his superior height and heavier weapon.

Suddenly a golden cero was launched at the Quinta Espada, who effortlessly tanked the attack with his shoulder. The attack tore his sleeve some, but it didn't burn any of his skin.

Annoyed, Nnoitra turned and opened his mouth, firing a golden cero from his tongue.

Dondochakka, the adversary who fired the first cero, dove out of the way, dodged the attack.

"Stay the hell out of my way!" Grimmjow roared. "If you try to interrupt this fight again, I'll kill you myself!"

"Tesla, prevent this idiot from interrupting our fight again."

"Yes, Master."

Tesla drew his sword and the illusion simultaneously vanished.

Dondochakka opened his mouth and pulled his large kanabo from his throat.

The two weaker fighters began to circle around each other.

 _I didn't realize I was still this weak. I knew Nnoitra's hierro was strong, but I had no idea he could shrug off an attack like that without the slightest hint of a wound. Be careful, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. If you lower your guard even for a second, Nnoitra might kill you._ Dondochakka thought.

* * *

The aspiring Empress of Hueco Mundo herself found Tosen, as well as Ichimaru.

"You wish to fight the two of us alone?" Tosen asked.

 _Not alone. And not even two of us._ Ichimaru thought, taking a few steps back, in order to get behind Tosen. _I'm going to kill you before you have a chance to react, Kaname Tosen._

"No. I have picked the best opponents to fight each person. And there is only one person that Ichimaru won't be able to manipulate."

Ichimaru turned when he heard incoherent babbling coming from behind him. Wonderweiss looked at him with his perpetually confused expression with large eyes and an open mouth.

Wonderweiss lunged at the Soul Reaper with surprising speed, but Ichimaru was fast enough to sidestep him. He drew his sword as he leapt away from him. His leap put more distance between him and Wonderweiss, as well as Tosen. He didn't particularly want to be blinded by Kaname's Bankai.

Ichimaru pointed his forward right at the side of Tosen's neck and commanded his Zanpakuto to take it's Shikai form, "Impale him, Shinso."

Wonderweiss suddenly threw himself forward, tackling Ichimaru to the ground. Ichimaru struggled to free himself, but Wonderweiss was surprisingly strong. The Arrancar opened his mouth and began to charge a purple cero in his open mouth.

"Hado number one, Sho." Ichimaru called as he sent energy from his finger into Wonderweiss' chest, which sent the Arrancar flying into the air.

 _She picked Wonderweiss because he's simply too stupid for me to manipulate. And he's too stupid to realize that I'm not trying to attack him, but Tosen instead. At this rate, I won't be able to help Harribel without giving myself away._ He thought as he rose to his feet. _I suppose fighting this child will have to come first._

* * *

Matthias found his way to Aaroniero, and drew his Nodachi.

"I would prefer to talk at least a little before the fight starts." Aaroniero said, with the voice of Kaien Shiba, but the appearance of Baraggan.

Silently Matthias swung his sword at his waist. The illusion of Baraggan immediately vanished, and Aaroniero drew his sword, blocking the larger Arrancar's weapon.

* * *

Yammy hadn't bothered to keep the illusion up. As soon as he felt Starrk's energy, he knew Baraggan wouldn't be able to do anything about him. So he transformed back into himself. And soon, two Arrancar found him.

Ulquiorra Cifer and Gantenbainne Mosqueda stepped toward him, preparing for a battle.

Yammy tightly gripped his Zanpakuto, while the two approached him.

* * *

Massilo grinned. He turned around, and saw his opponent. A large hairy-man with a polearm. "You thought you could sneak up on me, sasquatch?"

Solomon shook his head, "I didn't expect to stay hidden for long. But you noticed me almost immediately. That's quite surprising."

* * *

Lurk was silently creeping toward Las Noches, without bothering to turn off her illusion. It didn't really matter, considering everyone would be too focused on the war to pay any attention to her. Or so she thought.

As she approached the back entrance door, an ear spitting cry erupted through the air. She immediately threw herself into the dirt- which turned the spell off. The cry didn't stop, slow, or even change pitch. Then she realized it wasn't a cry at all. It was a manufactured noise, not one that would normally occur in Hueco Mundo.

The noise stopped, which prompted her to look up. Her eyes widened when she saw the building. The side was filled with tiny holes, which formed a crude, yet terrifying, message. In English cursive was a single word, in all caps.

 _LURK_

Lurk took a deep breath and turned around. Dingo smirked at her. "I assume this is the first time you've seen what a gun can actually do, judging by your reaction. Then again, there aren't many Arrancar out there with a gun as their Zanpakuto, so that's not quite unusual." He was resting his Tommy Gun against his shoulder.

"Why didn't you shoot me?"

"I didn't feel like shooting you in the back."

"Why did you wrote me a message?"

"I dunno. Felt like it, I guess."

"So how did you know where I was at?"

"Well ya see... my pesquisa is really good. When we had that conversation the first time we meet, I was memorizing your spirit energy. And ever sense, I've always known were you where. It's as simple as that."

"You can sense me, even though I'm neutralizing my energy?" She asked, jaw dropping.

"Actually, no. I was just kidding. What actually happened is that because the Tres Bestias had their scouts find all of the Baraggan clones. And you were the only one without spirit energy. So I deduced that you were Lurk. And sure enough, I was right."

"But the Tres Bestias were nowhere near you. I could sense their spirit energy closer to Baraggan than you were."

"They... mentioned it before they left."

"I doubt that, as I wasn't even close to this location at that point. So why did you lie?"

He groaned, "I prefer for people to underestimate me. Unfortunately, you played me good. Yeah, the first thing I said was what actually happened. It sucks that I was dumb enough to reveal my strategy right away. But oh well, I'll survive. Probably."

"You know that my sword can't cut you. So you should get this over with as soon as possible."

"Ya know... I don't really feel like doing that. I don't particularly want to fight you at all."

"Then why are you here?"

He smirked at her before answering.

* * *

Nelliel and Pesche searched for their opponent, who was floating above them. He had turned off the illusion a long time ago.

Rico Nataniel looked down at them and smirked. "A battle with a former Espada and one of her Fraccion, huh? This is gonna be fun."

"Fun is going to be the last thing this battle is..." Nel mumbled, drawing her sword.

* * *

Loly and Menoly were searching for their opponent, but his spiritual energy suddenly vanished.

"Where the hell is he?" Loly cursed as she looked around the vacant desert.

"Sending a couple of women to kill me, huh?" Sneered a voice behind them.

The two turned to lock eyes with Rafael Vazquez, who was slowly turning off his illusion.

"Don't waste my time. Run home and cry to your leader before I slice your throats."

"I think you'll find that we're more capable than you think." Loly asked, pulling her knife from her thigh.

He snorted, "we'll see about that..."

* * *

"Lord Baraggan told us to stay put," one of Baraggan's soldiers said.

"You can stay still if you want. But we're going to find them before they find us."

"Yeah, don't be a dumbass. They've got the upper hand if we just stand still. If we want to have any chance of winning this war, we have to use strategy." A third put in.

"You're both cowards. Too afraid of a fair fight." The first guy growled.

Renzo Ledanaro refused to budge as the other two found a place to hide.

He didn't have to wait for long, as the Tres Bestias surrounded him within a few minutes.

"You alone?" Apacchi asked.

"I would have preferred to fight you head on, with whatever pansy-ass strategy you use. However, I was outvoted by my teammates."

Suddenly, Priscila Espinoza flew out of nowhere from the left, and Paula Cloe soared in from the right. Sung-Sun turned to Paula and Mila Rose turned to Priscila. Within a few seconds, these three broke the Tres Bestias' formation, thus forcing them to come up with a strategy from scratch.

* * *

Monica and Severiano were paired up with Donn, who didn't look very pleased that two unknowns were his opponents. However, he said nothing.

* * *

Shakars and Daliza were up against Noe, who readied to fight them but said nothing.

* * *

A lone Arrancar walked toward the large castle. Without any opponents, he was free to destroy Las Noches, if he wanted to. Or he could go in there and search for anyone who was hiding, which was his current self-given objective.

Right when it seemed he could walk right in, the sand all around him started to move. The Arrancar flew straight into the air.

"You're not going in there..." Growled a deep, seemingly disembodied voice.

The young man realized that the voice had a body, it was just made of sand. Runuganga rose up, so the the two were almost eye to eye.

"I am your opponent, Zaffon Mariez."

"Sending a hollow to take care of an Arrancar? What kind of a fool is Harribel?"

"You will not insult my leader, boy. There will be severe consequences."

Zaffon laughed. "You are big. But I'm simply more agile than you'll ever be. That doesn't even mention our divide in power."

"I think you'll find I'm harder to kill than you expect."

* * *

Hugo was sitting on the ground, with battles starting all around him. None were close enough to wound him, not even by accident. But he was close enough to sense what was happening in all the preambles to the fights.

He smirked. "This is going to be good. It will be getting good, indeed."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: The Joker and the Thief

"So basically," Dingo yawned, with his gun at his hip, "my plan is to convert you over to our side and then you can help us defeat your old allies. What do you think?"

"You expect me to change sides just like that?" Lurk asked, with visual surprise on her face.

"I mean... kinda? But I have something that I want to ask you first."

"And what's that?"

"Why are you on Baraggan's side at all?"

"Because of what he stands for. He wants an anarchical Hueco Mundo, which is exactly how it should be. It's how we've been for thousands of years."

"Just because something worked for thousands of years doesn't mean it's the best way," he scratched his chin, trying to come up with an example. "On Earth dinosaurs slaughtered and tore each other apart for quite some time before their reign was over."

"And you're saying that the current leadership on Earth is perfect?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"No. And far from it. All I'm saying is that it's better."

"Yeah, well, compared to the dinosaurs, I don't see how it could be much worse."

Dingo shrugged, "that's true, but my point still stands. Being as we possess reason, we can't just run around killing anything we feel like-"

"-So you think that asking someone permission before doing what you feel like is a better than just doing it?"

"You're smarter than that, Lurk. You know that's not what I mean," he took a deep breath to control the annoyance at the edge of his sentences. "What I mean, is... we should have rules that we have to follow. No one wants to die. So why should hollows be allowed to killed left and right, just to feed a few?"

"So are you suggesting we all starve to death?"

"No. Some hollows will have to die regardless, if we want to survive. But what I'm suggesting is that we only kill a few to feed the masses."

"You can talk about how bad something is all day, but if you don't come up with a better solution it's all pointless. How is that possible?"

Dingo lightly kicked around in the sand, as if the answer to her question was buried in. "In the old Hueco Mundo, the strong conquered the weak, right?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Answer my question and then I'll explain."

"Yes, the weak have always been defeated by the strong."

"Now," Dingo pointed his gun at her. "Draw your sword, and stab me with it."

"We both know that I can't cut you."

"Do it anyway. I'm trying to make a point here."

"I don't take orders from you."

"I'm the guy with the gun here. If you don't respond... well..." He nodded to the wall, which was covered in bullet holes.

His silent threat didn't go unnoticed. Lurk drew her sword and stabbed at his chest. The blade didn't penetrate into his skin at all. It barely cut his clothes.

Dingo aimed the barrel of his gun right into Lurk's face. "Bang." He mumbled. "You'd be dead, if this was the old Hueco Mundo."

"No, you idiot. Individuals make their own choices. And you wouldn't have killed me in the old Hueco Mundo, either."

"You didn't know me back then. Being on Harribel's team civilized me. Before this, I was a battle hungry maniac. A certain Soul Reaper with an extremely long sword had to kill me from behind, I was so damn scary. Aizen himself wouldn't face me."

"You knew that Ichimaru killed you? Yet you let him be on the same side as you?"

He shrugged. "If I died, then I died. That's just the way it was. I don't feel anything toward him, because it was a dog eat dog world. However... now that I'm alive once again, I've realized it's not a kill or be killed world."

"And how is that supposed to change my mind?"

Dingo bared his fangs for the first time. "LISTEN TO WHAT I'M SAYING!"

Her eyes widened and she took a step away from him.

Dingo exhaled, and relaxed. "Sorry... sorry. You just... really pissed me off there. I'm going to ask you a question." He paused, waiting for a response, but Lurk didn't say a word. "What makes you think that Baraggan is going to be any different from what you expect Harribel to be?"

* * *

Speaking of the Tercera Espada, Harribel herself was beginning to engage Tosen. "I realized the fatal flaw of my strategy during our last bout. And this time... I will not lose to you, Tier Harribel."

"What makes you be so sure, Soul Reaper?"

Tosen closed his eyes. "Going back to my roots will surely defeat you. No longer relying on my ability to sense spiritual energy is far too different from my usage of sight. I should have realized that before, by my defeat at the hands of Shuhei Hisagi and Sajin Komamura."

 _This battle is going to be tough, now that he's no longer messing around. Hurry up, Dingo..._ Harribel thought as she drew her sword.

* * *

Near by, Ichimaru struggled to keep Wonderweiss at bay without just his Shikai. _I can really see why Aizen had this guy the one who was supposed to take down Yamamoto. He's far faster and stronger than I initially gave him credit for._

Wonderweiss flung himself at Gin, who pointed his sword at him. Remembering his previous attacks Wonderweiss Sonido'd into the air and slashed down at him. The Soul Reaper leapt away, narrowly dodging the attack.

 _It's no good. I'll have to use my Bankai. But there's no way to know if I can use my Bankai without killing him. But right now, it's him or me. And I'm not going to let this brainless Arrancar kill me._ He thought, as he gripped his sword with both hands. "Sorry, Harribel. But I might have to kill this guy." His voice didn't have a single shred of emotion. He was simply stating a fact; like he was a Soul Reaper and she was an Arrancar.

 _His tone lacks the sarcasm that he has had previously._ Harribel thought as she dodged a slash from Tosen. _It... doesn't matter. If I don't fully focus on Tosen I'll surely die._

"Bankai. Kamishini no Yari." Ichimaru mumbled, his smile non-existent. "If you can under me Wonderweiss, stand down. You can't beat me. Not now that I have my Bankai released."

Still the fool lunged at him. Ichimaru's blade extended many times faster than his Shikai. Blood splattered onto the ground.

* * *

Matthias was currently engaging a sword fight with Aaroniero. Matthias had two inches of height on him, but that wasn't as much as an advantage as it would have been in a fist fight. However, Matthias' sword was heavier and bigger, which helped him force Aaroniero backward.

"I thought the Espada were strong?" Matthias asked. "I guess after Sexta (sixth) you guys stopped caring as much about strength."

The Novena (ninth) Espada flew into the air. "What makes you think that I'm using all of my strength?" He began spinning the sword around in a circular pattern, and it began to glow. "Surge," Matthias leapt at him while the Espada began releasing his Zanpakuto. "Water and heaven," Aaroniero continued as Matthias was right in front of him, "Nejibana."

Matthias stabbed at his chest, but a trident suddenly pushed his blade downward, out of the way.

"This is my true strength." Aaroniero lied as he began sliding his trident down the sword, toward Matthias. Matthias heaved upward, which threw Aaroniero further into the air.

"Are you even really an Arrancar?" Matthias asked.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Of course I'm an Arrancar!"

"You look like a Soul Reaper. And your Zanpakuto release didn't change your appearance whatsoever. All it did was change your Zanpakuto, which is like a Soul Reaper Shikai rather than a Resurreccion."

"Very perceptive. This is not the limit to my power. However, this will be all you see."

"Oh yeah?"

Suddenly water began flooding from the blunt end of the trident, and Aaroniero swung the weapon around, even though Matthias was clearly out of range. Suddenly torrents of water crashed down on Matthias' shoulders and chest. The impact slammed him into the ground and Aaroniero continued to assault him with water blasts.

 _The bone isn't appearing to block the water..._ Matthias thought. _It's like... it isn't viewing the water as an actual attack. Strange._

"What's the matter?" Aaroniero laughed from above, "I thought I was weak? Behold, Arrancar I don't know the name of! This is the power of the Soul Reaper Kaien Shiba, who I have absorbed the ability of! So you were right when you said I looked like a Soul Reaper, because I take the appearance of one!"

* * *

"I've given you long enough to think, Lurk," Dingo said, "say something."

"Well the truth is..." She sighed and looked up at the ebony sky. "There is no way to tell if he'll end up doing what I expect or not. But in a war like this, you can't just pick a third option like a few cowards I know of. I had to pick the lesser of two evils."

"And what makes you think that's Baraggan?"

"Harribel is a liar. She says she doesn't want absolute power, yet she would reign supreme anyway. Baraggan isn't a liar-"

"That's bullshit." Dingo interrupted.

"How is that?"

"Tell me. For what reason have people like Tosen served him?"

"Because he claimed to want to free Aizen." As soon as she said it, she knew exactly what Dingo was about to say. But she let him say it anyway.

"And do you really think he's going to do that? Think about it. If he wins this war, he'll be the supreme ruler. Why would he ruin that by bringing Aizen into the mix?"

"How... do you know about any of this?" Now it was Lurk's turn to dig a hole in the sand with her shoes.

"A combination of what I've heard people saying about them and deductive reasoning. Harribel said that Tosen was blinded by his willingness to serve Aizen to the Tres Bestias. I couldn't really ask her what she meant, because I was eavesdropping. That's were by deductive reasoning came in. Sosuke Aizen isn't here- I know that he's likely imprisoned in the Soul Society for starting a battle with them. And Baraggan is a highly arrogant man. Aizen and Tosen are both Soul Reapers. A combination of all these facts lead me to the conclusion that Tosen came with Aizen to Hueco Mundo. And he remains here because he doesn't want to be imprisoned alongside him, yet he remains loyal to him."

"You're smarter than you look, Dingo."

His eyes focused on her. "Baraggan has been proven to be a liar now. So you're statement about him not being a liar is invalid. I'll ask you again. Why side with Baraggan?"

Lurk closed her eyes and began to think very hard about her past decisions. She knew from the beginning that Baraggan wasn't a saint, she wasn't a fool. However, she didn't consider that he would lie about his motivations to them. Even though it was staring her in the face the entire time. But had she made a mistake joining him? Was Harribel the better side?


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Shikai and Resurreccion

Aaroniero laughed as he continued to assault Matthias with water. "COME ON! Is that all you've got? Weren't you the one who said that I was weak?"

Suddenly, Matthias released an energy wave of spiritual pressure. The water suddenly flew in all different directions. Steam and water all over the area hid Matthias' presence, which forced Aaroniero to stop his attack. "Damn it..." The Espada mumbled.

"You know, you surprised me at first. Which is why I didn't use that sooner." Matthias said, walking toward him. "But now that I'm used to your attacks, you're done for. You mentioned earlier that this was your true power. If this is all you've got then you're done for." He leaned his Zanpakuto against his shoulder, "if you leave now I'll let you live."

"Go to hell!" Aaroniero roared.

He sighed, "I figured you'd say something like that."

Aaroniero began generating water from his trident again, but Matthias charged up a bala and shot the water before it even began to form into a weapon. The water fell to the ground without harming either of them.

* * *

Starrk lunged at Baraggan, stabbing his sword at his throat. The Segunda shot his respira at him, but the Primera vanished. Lilynette, still in her werewolf form, flung herself at the former King's back, but Sonido'd out of the way when Baraggan realized she was there.

"So you're going to use feints, huh?" Baraggan asked. "That won't work on me."

"We'll just have to see about that," Starrk responded as he was suddenly soaring down at the Espada. Baraggan once again sent his Respira to block the attack, and once again Starrk vanished. Lilynette suddenly flew at his chest from beneath him, but his Respira flew at her instead. She vanished and at the same time Starrk stabbed at his back.

Baraggan quickly changed his respira to defend his back, but Lilynette was once again in front of him, and slashed his face. Both Primera vanished before Baraggan could counter.

The Segunda Espada only had a skull in his resurreccion, so the cut didn't make him bleed. It just left a slash mark on the side of his face. "You will regret that, Lilynette Gingerback."

"Oh yeah?" Lilynette asked. "Your respira can't keep up with us, you dumbass! The two of us are going to keep getting small attacks in until you eventually fall to your death!"

"Bold words, coming from someone who keeps running away before their opponent can get an attack in."

"If you think that you can goad me into a close combat fight, then you're even more of a retard than I thought." She shook her head. "Look at him, the Segunda Espada is so weak he can't even defeat the Primera's fraccion. Maybe we should switch ranks? Maybe you should be a numeros and I should be the Segunda Espada?"

Baraggan was suddenly right in front of her, reaching for her throat. Starrk vanished. Baraggan's hand wrenched around the werewolf's throat. "It would seem your superior has abandoned you to die, girl. He very well could have slowed me down enough to allow you to escape, but he choose to flee instead. Maybe Coyote Starrk is more of a coward than I realized."

His respira began to eat through the spirit energy.

* * *

"It's time for you to decide, Lurk." Dingo said, impatience creeping into his voice.

"Sorry..." She said. "I just... don't know which way is up anymore. I don't know if I'm right or wrong. Everything... is just so complicated."

"Well, when everything is complicated, just look at one thing at a time. A complicated looking leviathan reveals itself to a horde of minnows under further inspection."

"Leviathan... becoming minnows..." Lurk thought, looking at the sand beneath her feet. "I knew from the start that both sides were bad. But to me it was between authoritarian and anarchy. And I chose anarchy. But now Baraggan has revealed his hand, and it's not what I expected. Harribel's true motives are unknown to me, and that means it can be good or bad for me."

"So what is it?" Dingo asked. "Do you pick confirmed annihilation, or do you pick the leap of faith?"

"Faith, huh...? I haven't had any of that for anyone other than myself in a long time. Do you have it?"

"Yeah. For almost all of my comrades. Starrk, Harribel, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Nel, and many others... I know all of them will stay true to their believes and they will fight for our cause, or they'll die trying. And due to Harribel's plans, there's no way any of them will die." His eyes focused once again. "Now pick. We don't have a whole lot of time, ya know. People are counting on me to hurry up."

* * *

Wonderweiss groaned and fell into a sitting position. Ichimaru retracted his blade, which had struck the artificial Arrancar through the leg.

"There's no way you can stand now. Just lie down and don't move. Or bad things might happen..." Ichimaru's vague threat went unnoticed by the child, which annoyed him. So he waved his Zanpakuto around, right under his nose. Maybe he'd get it then.

Instead of cowering in fear or giving up, Wonderweiss grabbed the Soul Reaper's wrist with both hands. Then he wailed loudly. Ichimaru wrenched his weapon from the child's hands and flash stepped away.

He continued to wail, which shook the walls and even cracked the ceiling in several places. Harribel's water began reacting to the immense noise, shimmering and then flying away as if struck by a powerful wind.

Tosen immediately took advantage of this by stabbing at her chest. Harribel was able to block his strike with her sharktooth-esque sword.

 _Damn it, Wonderweiss..._ Harribel thought.

 _This child is interfering with Harribel's battle._ Ichimaru thought. _I better put a stop to it. But the only sure way to do that is... I suppose that's what I'll have to do._ His Zanpakuto extended right toward the Arrancar's forehead.

* * *

Aaroniero's water flew right at Matthias, who released another shock of red energy. Matthias suddenly flew right at him, stabbing his sword at his chest. The Espada blocked the attack with the prongs of his trident, and then twisted his wrist- which prevented Matthias from escaping. "Devour," Aaroniero called, "Glotoneria..."

* * *

Ichimaru's blade collided with Wonderweiss' forehead, which sent him flying into a wall, which spider-webbed on impact. _It's odd that my blade didn't shoot right through him. Still, slamming into that wall should knock him out. At least now I won't have to kill-_

Suddenly Wonderweiss started mumbled as he rose to his feet. The only word Ichimaru could make out was the word, "Extinguir". Purple energy suddenly began flooding the area around Wonderweiss, which disguised his transformation. Gin's eyes widened and he took a few steps away. _Not good. He's using his Resurreccion..._

* * *

A massive tentacle slammed into Matthias, and sent him flying. The Arrancar managed to catch himself and he landed on his feet.

In front of him was a grotesque purple blob, which had Kaien Shiba's upper half attached to it.

"With a Shikai and a Resurreccion, you'll have no choice at beating me!" Aaroniero howled, shooting water down at him.

Matthias began to charge up his spirit energy, but Aaroniero's tentacle slammed into his side. The bone took most of the damage, but the impact still knocked him back.

 _I can't block his tentacles and his water at the same time. Shit._

"I initially thought you were having a little bit of trouble." Called a third voice.

Both Arrancar looked around the room, not being able to find the source.

"Then I thought you were fine and I wouldn't even need to be here."

Aaroniero smirked when he finally recognized the voice. "Lurk. I thought you were on your way to destroy Hueco Mundo?"

"Unfortunately, the plans have changed."

 _Where the hell is she?_ Matthias thought, continuing to search the room with his eyes.

* * *

Dingo suddenly Sonido'd next to Harribel. He smirked at her, then pointed his gun at Tosen. "Yo."

"The two of you are possibly the best combination to fight me. However, you stand no real chance of defeating me."

Dingo pulled the trigger, and his bullets began to tear through the air, right at Tosen. The Soul Reaper barely had enough time to dodge the attack. He went to stab Dingo in the side, but Harribel's water shot into the Soul Reaper's side and sent him flying.

"Your mission, Dingo?" Harribel asked, "was it a success."

Dingo turned to her. The two locked eyes.

* * *

Just then, Lurk appeared behind Aaroniero and stabbed him in the side. The Espada howled in pain, then swung a tentacle at her. She sonido'd down to the ground, next to Matthias.

"So you betrayed Baraggan, Lurk?" Aaroniero growled, "you little witch!"

"You continue to attack him head on. I'll back you up from the shadows." She said as she vanished once again.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Explosive Wolves

Baraggan's Respira began to eat through the spirit energy around the werewolf's throat. Starrk vanished.

"It would seem your superior has abandoned you to die, girl. He very well could have slowed me down enough to allow you to escape, but he choose to flee instead. Maybe Coyote Starrk is more of a coward than I realized."

"Is that right?" Asked a young woman's voice behind him. Baraggan spun around to see Lilynette and Starrk standing side by side. Baraggan turned his attention to the spiritual energy in the shape of a werewolf in front of him. Then it exploded, sending emerald spirit energy flying in all directions.

Baraggan cursed as he had thrown himself back to regain his composure. "You almost got me. If you hadn't revealed your position, your explosion would have damaged me somewhat."

"The explosion never would have killed you." Starrk pointed out. "It wouldn't even incapacitate you. Which means, there is no real reason to use it, right?"

Lilynette smirked. "What do you think, Baraggan? Why would we have it explode if it wouldn't hurt you?"

"Why would I know?" The Segunda growled.

"To gauge your reaction. You leapt away, which means when you condense your respira into an attack, you can't use it for a shield at the same time." Lilynette laughed, "or the explosion happened so fast it would it would tear up your respira. Either way, it's good for us."

"You little pest," Baraggan growled.

* * *

Nnoitra and Grimmjow traded slashes if their weapons. Due to the fact that Grimmjow had a smaller sword, he was far more nimble than Nnoitra. Unfortunately for the Sexta, the Quinta (5th) Espada's Hierro was far stronger than his.

"This fight is boring." Nnoitra announced, turning his head toward the other battle. "I find it quite poetic that my Fraccion is about to kill one of Nelliel's Fraccion. What do you think, Grimmjow?"

"I don't give a damn." The blue-haired Espada answered.

Near them, Dondochakka was battling against Tesla. Neither had released their Resurreccion, but Dondochakka was forcing him quite a significant deal back with his large Kanabo. _Why does Gilga think that his Fraccion can win when Dondochakka clearly has the advantage? Is he aware of something that I'm not?_ Grimmjow thought.

"What's the matter, Jaegerjaquez? Worried about your teammate?"

"Like hell I am." He shook himself from his stupor and hurled himself into the air. He flipped over several times as he swung his sword down at his opponent. Nnoitra grinned as he blocked the attack with his shoulder. He thrust his blade toward Grimmjow, who jumped off of him and landed in the sand behind him. Both Espada grinned and their weapons collided once more.

* * *

Yammy roared in anger and slammed his fists into the sand. "ULQUIORRA! I've waited so long so I could kill you! And the time has finally come, but you've brought a comrade with you! You're afraid of me!"

"This silly tactic will not work on me, Yammy," The Cuarto (4th) said dryly. "My orders are absolute. I will follow them even if it leads to my death."

"This is the Cero Espada?"* Mosqueda asked. "I didn't think he'd be this stupid."

"Do not underestimate me, boy!" Yammy roared, "you're only a Privaron Espada! That means you're weaker than me!"

"We'll just have to see about that." Mosqueda responded.

* * *

Runuganga used his sand to block several ceros from Zaffon, who was flying through the air while he shot the energy at him. Rungugang sent the sand after him, but Zaffon shot higher into the air, while shooting more ceros down at him.

 _I can't keep up with him for much longer. His spiritual energy will eventually defuse the spirit energy that's keeping my sand body together._ Runuganga thought. _I pray that someone will help me soon, as I won't be able to defend Las Noches for very much longer._

* * *

Meanwhile, Dingo and Harribel were continuing to keep their distance from Tosen while firing their long ranged attacks.

Tosen blocked or avoided every one of their attacks, which was quite the feat due to Dingo's rapid fire rate.

Tosen hurled himself toward them, creating a shield in front of him with a Kido spell by swiftly spinning his sword. He got closer to the two, but then the two took off in opposite directions. Dingo smirked at him as he took off. _No way you can attack both of us at once. You'll have to pick one or the other. And when you attack one of us, the other will take advantage of your attack and we'll take you down. You can't defend and attack at the same time. Even if you try to, you'll be leaving yourself vulnerable elsewhere._

Tosen settled on trying to cut Dingo across the chest, but the gunman blocked the attack with his Chicago Type Writer.

Harribel then shot the blind man in the back with a huge blast of water.

* * *

Aaroniero looked around for Lurk, but Matthias flew at him, swinging his sword at him like a madman. Aaroniero swung a tentacle at him, but Matthias used the Sonido to avoid the attack and punch him hard in the jaw. Aaroniero sent a torrent of water into his chest, which sent him flying into a wall.

A blade suddenly protruded from Aaroniero's throat.

Aaroniero choked and spat up some blood. "Screw you, Lurk. May you die for your betrayal, you bitch..." It was then that the illusion wore off. A large cylindrical container obscured by a large white cloth. A red liquid that was far too thin to be blood began to pour out from around his throat.

Lurk yanked her blade free, and stepped away. The Novena Espada collapsed to the ground.

"Let's split up and cover more ground."

"Hold on." Matthias said, leaning his sword against his shoulder as he approached her. "Why the hell should I trust you?"

"I just killed him, didn't I? I saved your ass."

"You were on Baraggan's side, last I checked."

"And you were on your own side, last I checked." She countered with mockery dripping from her voice.

"People change."

"Then so can I. All I'm asking is for a chance."

"And if I don't give you a chance and kill you right now?"

"You'd be wasting your time and one of your soldiers. You aren't nearly fast enough or observant enough to fight me while I use stealth. I'll slowly chip through your strange armor, and then I'll kill you."

"You threatening me?"

"No. I'm telling you what'll happen if you try to use that awkward sword of your's on me."

"How do you figure it's awkward?" He asked, tapping his large sword with his index finger.

"Look at how slow your swing is. It may be powerful, but if it's too slow it doesn't matter. You even subconsciously realized this, so you punched Aaroniero instead of stabbing him. While your punches are faster, they're still not fast enough to catch me. Think about it. If you swung a regular sized Katana, it would be twice as fast as your Nodachi."

The two remained silent for a moment.

"Look," Lurk sighed, "we're not getting anywhere. We can split up and help other people, or we can sit here starring at each other for an hour. What do you prefer?"

"Know this, Lurk. If you try to kill any of my comrades, I'm coming for your head. Your blade won't be strong enough to pierce my armor. I promise you that." And with that, Matthias vanished.

Lurk disappeared a moment later.

Matthias reappeared next to Wonderweiss, and Lurk appeared next to Rungugang.

* * *

Notes: *Unfortunately Cera isn't a word. So Cero Espada breaks the masculine/feminine agreeing rule in Spanish. Guess I'll just cry about it.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Short Chapter Plus Important Note

Matthias leaned his Nodachi against his shoulder. Next to him, Wonderweiss had released his Resurreccion not long ago. In front of the two Arrancar, Ichimaru stood there. Unbeknownst to Matthias, Gin's Bankai release looked exactly the same as his Bankai release. So the tattooed Arrancar assumed that he was using his Shikai.

"B- Ban... kai..." Wonderweiss choked out.

 _Is this idiot trying to use a Bankai?_ Matthias thought. _He should know better than that._

"Shoot to kill, Shinso." Ichimaru called, and his Wakizashi rapidly extended toward Wonderweiss' chest.

 _He's faster than before._ Matthias noted. _He did say he was holding back during our last bout. I didn't quite believe him at the time... but now..._

Wonderweiss narrowly dodged the attack. Matthias charged at him, but Gin's sword retracted in the blink of an eye then elongated once again. This time, it hit the large Arrancar square in the forehead. The bone appeared to block the blade, but the impact knocked him back a few feet.

"Ba... Ban... Bankai...!" Wonderweiss groaned, with more urgency this time.

 _Still he continues? Can anyone be this stupid?_ Matthias thought.

* * *

In front of the palace, Runuganga had been facing off against a far more nimble opponent, Zaffon. Suddenly, Lurk appeared.

"Cirilli Lurk?" Runuganga asked. _Oh, no..._

The woman suddenly lunged at Zaffon and slashed down at his head. Zaffon blocked the attack with his sword, with a scowl on his face. "So you have betrayed us, have you? Oh well. I'll kill you just the same as that sand creature over there. You've never been a straight forward combat fighter to begin with."

 _He's right. With Matthias I could hide in the shadows and then shoot out to surprise Aaroniero. But the difference here is that Runguganga can't hold his own in a battle. If I don't fight on the front lines, he'll die. So our roles will have to be switched. He'll play support and I'll be the main brawler._ Lurk thought.

"I am not going to ask why you are helping me," Runuganga said, "however, be prepared for questions after this war has come to an end."

At this point, Zaffon pulled his sword back and swung down hard at her. She managed to block the attack with her buckler, but the blow almost made her fall to her knees. _Shit. He's a lot stronger than I realized. I can't take very many more attacks like that and remain standing._ She thought as she leapt away from him.

"Killing the both of you won't be a problem," Zaffon said without a shred of fear in his voice.

 _That may be true in a normal sword fight. However, I plan to use underhanded tactics in order to win this battle. Can't survive any other way._ Lurk thought as she clipped her buckler to the handle of her sword, and gripped the weapon with both hands.

* * *

Notes: I'm sorry to inform you that I'm going to take a hiatus. It's going to be a minimum of one week, but I don't have an maximum- however, I won't let it last longer than a month. I'm sure you're aware of the decline in quality (and quantity) of the last few chapters. The last two or so chapters I wrote were rather short, as well as kinda bad, in my opinion. For a bit now, my motivation to write has been very miniscule. I don't really have an exact answer for why, but that's how it is. Once again I'm sorry, and I'll get back to writing this story as soon as possible. And I absolutely will not abandon this story. I will give it an ending even if it kills me.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Angel of Death

Rico Nataniel was floating above his opponents, with his arms folded across his bare chest. Unlike many other Arrancar, Rico wore no shirt, as he had a pair of pitch black wings that sprouted from his shoulder blades. Being as Arrancar could fly naturally, there was no need for him to flap his wings.

Nelliel and Pesche floated up into the air, one on either side of him. Rico drew his massive two handed sword and tossed his sheath off to the side. Suddenly he flung himself down at Nel, swinging his sword down at her head. The former Espada blocked his colossal weapon with her Katana. Rico smirked, "only the strongest of opponents can block my Tripas. Good job, former Tercera."

Just then Pesche tried to slash at him from behind with his reishi sword. Without even taking his eyes off of the opponent in front of him, Rico's wings flexed and slammed hard into the former Fraccion's side. The young man was sent hurtling through the air, which briefly distracted Nel from her opponent, which earned her a headbutt.

"As someone who served as an Espada, you should know not to take your eyes off your opponent," Rico shook his head, "honestly, it's not that hard of a concept. That guy went into this battle knowing that he'd get hurt. Why bother worrying about him when you should be worrying about your opponent?"

"You shut your mouth!" Nel growled as she rose to her feet.

Rico smirked, but said nothing.

"You wouldn't know anything about worrying about your subordinates!"

"Why would I? Worrying makes one weak. You proved that a moment ago when you got so easily distracted by being worried."

Nel silently glared up at him.

"Come on," Rico laughed, "I heard that the former Tercera was a formidable opponent! But if you keep letting your emotions cloud your judgement, you'll be easier to beat than I thought!"

 _Master Nel normally wouldn't allow this guy to get under her skin._ Pesche thought. _He's only getting to her because he's threatening me..._ He rose to his feet, brushing sand off of himself. _Compared to the beating I got from Master Starrk, this is nothing. I have... to show Master Nel that I'm stronger now!_ Pesche lifted his hand and began to charge up a golden cero. Rico watched carefully from above, but didn't bother to react yet.

Pesche released the attack, which Rico effortlessly dodged. But as he did so, he went right toward a stab to the side from Nel. This time, the young man didn't bother to dodge. Instead, he slashed down at her. _Go ahead and stab me, Espada. Your blade might stab through me, but my slash will severely wound you, and it might even kill you. Do you want your little friend over there to see you die?_

As if she could read his mind she lifted her sword and his blade connected with her guard. She tried to continue on with her stab, but he wouldn't allow her to push his sword back in the slightest. _Despite having such a massive weapon, he won't budge an inch. He's seriously powerful._

Just then, Pesche charged at him from behind, stabbing his Reishi sword at his back. This time, the wings slammed into his stomach and sent him flying back down toward the ground. Nel disengaged with Rico and flew over to catch her friend.

"You never learn!" The Arrancar howled as he soared down at her while swinging his sword at her exposed back. But Pesche stopped the attack by stabbing into his sword before he could reach maximum speed.

 _He's smarter than he looks. He knows I'd cripple his sword if I got to my maximum speed. So he stopped me right as I was beginning to build up momentum, rather than after I've already gotten it._ This time, Rico was the one to disengage. He floated a little higher than the two.

"Did you see it, Master Nel?" Pesche asked. "No matter what he thinks, I wasn't just attacking blindly. When I fired my cero at him, he could have blocked it with his wings. But he chose to dodge it instead. When you slashed at him, he could have blocked your sword with his wings so he could stab you. But he didn't. He saves his wings for a defense for his back. So the best route of attack..."

"Would be for both of us to attack his front at the same time," Nelliel realized.

Pesche grinned behind his mask, "precisely."

* * *

Wonderweiss and Matthias fighting together made it quite difficult for Ichimaru to fight. While either were especially fast, they were both quite strong. If he got hit with any attack, it might slow him down enough for one to get a finishing blow.

Ichimaru dodged a slash from Matthias, and then flash stepped out of the way from a wild strike from Wonderweiss.

 _I can't dodge them forever._ Ichimaru thought, taking a few steps away from them. _I'll need to take one of them out soon if I'm going to have a chance at surviving this battle._ He dodged another two attacks from them. _The only problem is, if I attack one of them, it'll leave me open for the other to attack me._

Ichimaru looked around the area, taking in his surroundings. Nothing but sand for as far as the eye could see. It would take a while, but Las Noches might have been a decent spot to fight. They wouldn't be able to use their herculean strength against him without bringing the roof down on their heads.

"I think it's time to change places. Let's fight in Las Noches, shall we?" And with that, the Soul Reaper vanished.

"Damn it!" Matthias growled as he Sonido'd after him. Wonderweiss followed suit.

* * *

Solomon leaned his glaive against his shoulder. In front of him stood a pale man with long black hair. In his hands he held a long black two handed sword with a chipped blade. The butt of the handle had a chain attached, which he had wrapped around his waist. Massilo grinned, slashing his sword down at him.

Solomon took a step away from him and trust his weapon onto Massilo's. The blades connected, but Solomon's leverage forced the sword into the air. "Your longer sword would give you an advantage in a sword fight. But now you're up against a polearm and not a sword. That means you can't defeat me. If you stand down now, I'll let you leave unharmed."

Massilo laughed and jumped away from him. "Who said anything about defeating you? I couldn't care less about that!"

"Why are you on Baraggan's team?"

"I only joined up with him because his team approached me first. His reasons, ethics, vices... they mean nothing to me. As long as I can have a good fight..." His grin broadened, "I couldn't care less who I serve or don't serve!"

"You are a real piece of work, swordsman." Solomon mumbled, putting himself into a low stance. "Tell me your name," he ordered, his voice laced with disgust.

He smirked at his opponent's distaste for him. "Massilo. Pietro Massilo."

"My name is Perrault Solomon. I'd say it's a pleasure, but that wouldn't be true."

"Oh, don't worry!" He gripped his sword with both hands once again, and began to build up spiritual energy all around himself. "I'll have enough fun for the both of us!" He lunged forward, swinging his sword down at him.

Solomon switched to a mid-stance and thrust his polearm into the blade, the same as the last time. And just like the last time, he forced the blade upward. But this time, Massilo hurled his weapon at Solomon's forehead, and caught the polearm with his chain.

The sasquatch dove out of the way, pulling his weapon with him. Massilo yanked his chain, which pulled his sword back to his hand.

* * *

Shakars and Daliza were standing in front of Donn, preparing to battle. "Come at me." Donn ordered, pointing a club at his opponents.

The two Arrancar on Harribel's side lunged at their opponent. Donn swung his club at them like a bat, which prompted Daliza to blitz off to the side to avoid the attack and made Shakars to leap off of her partner's back to jump over the weapon.

Donn began to swing at her again, but Daliza was fast enough to catch the weapon before it picked up any speed whatsoever. Shakars nailed Donn hard in the jaw, which sent him flying backward.

Donn landed in a large mound of sand, with the gray substance pouring all over him. His head bent awkwardly into the sand, as if he was already unconscious.

"So... is it over?" Daliza asked. "Could it really be that simple?"

"No. Use your pesquisa." Shakars mumbled with a dry throat.

Daliza momentarily closed his eyes then they shot open. A powerful energy was emanating from Donn, and it was growing stronger and stronger.

Suddenly, the sand around Donn was being separated from him by a silver energy. "RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" He roared as he rose to his feet. And then he flung himself at his two opponents.

Shakars vaulted off of Daliza's chest, which sent the boy into the sand and sent her into the air. That possibly saved both their lives, as Donn nearly crushed them with his club, but with Daliza beneath him and Shakars above him, his weapon hit neither. But they could both clearly hear the swing.

He swung it down at Daliza, who threw a handful of sand in his eyes and rolled away. Donn roared again, blindly swinging his club around. Shakars suddenly dropped on top of him, stabbing him in the shoulder repeatedly with her javelin.

Donn hurled her off of him with an immense blast of spirit energy.

Daliza gripped his hand axe with one hand, and got ready to dodge again. Shakars gripped her javelin with both hands, preparing to stab Donn in the chest, should he get too close.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38: El Jabalí y el Puerco Espín

Tesla slashed down at Dondochakka's head, but the large fighter dodged out of the way. "SCARY!" He cried and took off.

"You will not get away from me," Tesla stated as he chased after him. _He's surprisingly fast for someone his size._

Dondochakka ran for quite some distance, until he couldn't see Grimmjow or Nnoitra in the distance. He smirked under his mask.

"Whew... I finally..." He huffed and puffed, "built up... the... spirit... to fight you..."

"Do not lie to me, Dondochakka Birstanne. I know that you have grown exponentially in power in the last week. Which means that you shouldn't be this tired. Or even intimidated. Enough is enough, Birstanne. Your act grows old. Why must you even do it?"

Dondochakka straightened, and he gripped his Kanabo. "To keep Grimmjow from worrying about how my fight will go. He's the kind of guy that the phrase 'out of sight, out of mind' describes him to a T. I also didn't want you to get involved with the battle."

"Espada Sexta doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would worry about his comrades."

"Yes, you're right. He's not worried about me. He's only worried about wanting to fight Nnoitra one on one. If I get killed, then you'd help your master if he was on the brink of defeat. And Grimmjow doesn't want that to happen."

Tesla nodded. "Ah. I understand your motivations, now, Birstanne. But you will still have to die."

"No one has to die," Dondochakka said, "this isn't necessarily a battle to the death."

"If I lost one more battle that should be to the death yet survive, I'll never forgive yourself."

"Why? You're alive, aren't you?"

"IT MEANS I FAILED!" Tesla screamed, "my master gave me an order and I didn't fulfill it! I'd rather be a dead failure than an alive one!" He tightened his grip on his sword and readied. "No more talking."

Dondochakka nodded and held his Kanabo out toward him. Tesla thrust his sword toward the large Arrancar, who effortlessly blocked the attack and swung his large weapon at him. Tesla somersaulted over the attack and landed in a crouched position. From his crouch, he lunged toward Dondochakka with another attack.

Dondochakka calmly shot a Bala in his face, which knocked Tesla back a step. Dondochakka slammed his weapon into Tesla's legs, which buckled underneath of him. The taller Arrancar hit the ground, but flew out of the way of another attack.

Tesla rose back to his feet. _He wasn't trying to break my bones there. He hit me just over my kneecap with a downward swing, so it would buckle my knees rather than break my leg. Perhaps he did that unconsciously. Still, his lack of killing intent will lead to my victory._

* * *

Grimmjow and Nnoitra were engaged in a sword lock. Both grinned at the other while Nnoitra pushed Grimmjow back a few steps.

Nnoitra flung his weapon at him, but Grimmjow effortlessly dodged the attack, then he Sonido'd out of the way of it coming back to the Quinto's hand. Grimmjow's smirk broadened and he looked down his nose at his opponent. "If that's all you've got, then this fight is as good as over. Why don't you use your Resurreccion? You can't beat me like this."

"As far as I remember, I'm the one who's pushing you back, asshole!" Nnoitra growled, his grin transforming into a scowl. "Screw you!" He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, revealing the number five on his tongue. Yellow energy began building up.

Grimmjow lazily stabbed his sword into the ground but didn't move.

"QUIT MOCKING ME!" Nnoitra howled as he launched a massive golden Cero at the Sexta.

Grimmjow quickly slid his fingers against his blade, causing blood to drip off of his hand. Energy energy shot all around his hand, and he gripped his forearm with his free hand to aim it. "GRAN REY CERO!"

Golden and azure energy slammed into each other, and seemed even for a moment. But then the blue energy expanded and completely over took the other energy so fast that Nnoitra had no time to dodge.

"Screw you, Grimmjow..." Nnoitra said weakly. Smoke cleared, revealing that Nnoitra's Espada uniform had been torn to pieces at his chest and arms, and his chest had been severely burnt from the blast.

The Sexta yanked his sword from the sand and sheathed it.

"How the hell can a lower ranking Espada cancel out my attack?" Nnoitra growled, "and you even managed to burn me! How the hell is that possible?"

"It's true that the Espada are based on spirit energy alone, and not combat. But the fact is I used a much more powerful technique than you." Grimmjow pointed at him, "your arrogance blinds you, Quinto. You used a regular Cero against an Espada-level opponent. If I was stupid enough to try to counter with standard Cero, I'd be the one who was burnt now."

Nnoitra clenched his jaw and lifted his weapon above his head. Yellow energy shockwaved around him. "DAMN YOU TO HELL!" He roared, "Pray! Santa Teresa!"

Grimmjow drew his sword majority of the way out, while scraping his fingers against the blunt side of the weapon. "Grind, Pantera!"

* * *

Tesla momentarily paused and turned in the direction of the battle with Grimmjow and Nnoitra. "It seems that my master has released his Zanpakuto. If it was time for him to use that technique, I will do the same."

Dondochakka took a preemptive leap away from him.

"Gore them, Verruga!" Spirit energy steamed through the area. In front of Dondochakka now stood a massive anthropomorphic warthog creature. His mask now covered his entire face, and he had a pair of tusks sticking out.

Tesla punched down at Dondochakka, who narrowly dodged. Tesla followed up with a punch from his other hand, but Dondochakka rolled out of the way. As his fist was still in the sand, Tesla shot a bala, which made sand go flying everywhere. Dondochakka flew up into the air to avoid being blinded. The unreleased Arrancar looked down at his massive opponent. _I can't keep up with him in this state. Sooner or later he'll crush me with his insane strength._

Tesla suddenly shot off of the sandy ground and into the air, punching at Dondochakka. The smaller Arrancar opened his mouth and a massive snake-esque hollow flew right out of Dondochakka's mouth, and right at the released Arrancar. Tesla slammed his massive fist into Bawabawa's head, sending the beast flying through the air.

Still in the air, he punched at Dondochakka once again. This time, the smaller Arrancar blocked by slammed his Kanabo into his opponent's fist. While it was a large kanabo, it's size was dwarfed compared to Tesla's fist.

"Looks like I'll have to release my Resurreccion. Impale, Afilado!"

* * *

Ceros and Bala send sand and dust into the air. "DAMN IT!" Yammy howled. "Quit moving around!"

Still, Mosqueda and Ulquiorra effortlessly dodged the large Arrancar's assault. Yammy drew his sword and slashed down at Mosqueda, who Sonido'd into the air and gathered lightning energy around his Zanpakuto- a pair of two-pronged push daggers with stuck out on either side of his hands. The Privaron Espada's attack landed hard on the Diez Espada's shoulder.

Yammy groaned in pain and mindlessly swung his sword at him. Mosqueda dodged the attack just as easily as he did before.

The Cuarto casually walked toward him, with one hand in his pocket. The Diez shivered and leapt into the air to avoid him.

Mosqueda grunted as he leapt into the air, and kicked Yammy back down toward the ground.

Yammy slammed hard into the ground, right at Ulquiorra's feet. The superior Espada looked down at him and he slowly lifted his hand. Yammy rocketed back to his feet, before realizing that he now had a massive gash on his chest and shoulder. "DAMN YOU!" He roared as he stumbled away from him.

"I am willing to bet that you didn't even see that attack," Ulquiorra stated. "Stand down now, Yammy."

Yammy ground his teeth and punched down at him. The Cuarto dodged and thrust his hand into Yammy's stomach, causing blood to pour out of the wound.

"BASTARD!" Yammy howled and he drew his sword. "You'll regret the day you joined the Espada, you scum!" He knew Mosqueda was creeping toward him from behind, but he didn't turn around yet. Instead he swung a massive arcing attack with his sword. With a two handed swing like that, it could cut entire buildings in half. He missed Ulquiorra's head by around a foot, although that wasn't his intention.

He spun his entire body around with the swing, attempting to slash the Privaron. His eyes widened when Mosqueda was suddenly in the air, punching him hard in the nose with an electric punch.

Yammy collapsed to the ground, and looked up at the night sky in a daze. The taste of dust and iron filled his mouth. Iron? He rubbed his upper lip, and sure enough, blood was rushing out of his nose. "My blood being drawn from a Privaron Espada's punch? WHAT BULLSHIT IS THIS?" His energy boomed around him. "ENRAGE! IRA!"

* * *

Rafael didn't look happy. He glared at Menoly and Loly from under his eyebrows, with his nose wrinkled in disgust. For what seemed like an eternity he stood there staring at them. Hatred burned deep in his soul.

"What the hell is your problem?" Loly asked. "You're an Arrancar, you should relish in a fight. But you look really pissed off. What's wrong with you?"

"Arrancar relish in the ability to fight strong opponents, dumbass."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Loly asked, drawing her knife from her thigh.

"It means you're weak!" He roared, sending spiritual energy all around the area. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black glove, with rather long blades coming from the tips of the fingers. "Never once have I meet a female opponent who is worthy of fighting!"

"Someone never meet Harribel! Or Nelliel!" Loly shouted back.

"Those names mean absolutely nothing to me," he growled as he began to step toward the duo.

"Loly," Menoly called.

"Yeah?" Her comrade asked.

"Arguing with people like this is impossible. The only way to get through to him is to prove him wrong."

"How the hell're you gonna prove me wrong?" He asked, laughing. "You're fighting two on one! That's how weak you guys are. You wouldn't stand a chance one-on-one, so you fight with two."

"Don't listen to him," Menoly said, "he's trying to break our formation. And if he does that, he's one step closer to defeating us."

"Good, good..." Rafael sneered. "At least one of you is smart. Just so you know, before I kill you..." a sinister smirk crossed his face. "I'm going to toy with you a little. I'm going to make you bleed before I pierce your throats."

Loly opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly he was behind her, and blood dripped from her cheek. Before she could even turn, he was gone.

"Is that even Sonido...?" She asked, rubbing her cheek. "He's so fast..."

"It's not just Sonido." Menoly said, rubbing some blood off of her arm. She got cut too. "He's neutralizing his spirit energy, so it's even harder to track him."

"You coward!" Loly called. "Stand still and fight like a man!"

A distant laugh was his only response.

* * *

Sung-Sun, Mila Rose, and Apacchi had surrounded Renzo, who appeared to be alone. But in a matter of seconds two other Arrancar arrived at their flanks. Sung-Sun remained facing Renzo. Mila Rose readied to battle Paula. Apacchi prepared for Priscilla.

 _We have never been surrounded before,_ Sung-Sun thought, _so that means when they surrounded us, we're going to have to come up with a completely different strategy from scratch. We have no problem fighting multiple opponents, but we haven't been outmaneuvered this easily before._

"We'll have to fight them one-on-one," Apacchi stated, almost as if she was reading her mind.

But before either of the Tres Bestias could respond Renzo growled loudly, catching everyone's attention- including his two teammates. "ONE-ON-ONE?" He howled. "IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID?"

He suddenly fired a Bala from his mouth, which slammed into Sung-Sun's chest at almost point blank rank. He suddenly blitzed passed her and punched Apacchi hard in the side of the head, sending her flying through the air. Mila Rose spun to attack him but he wrenched his hand around her throat and flung in the opposite direction.

"I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU MYSELF!" He roared.

Sung-Sun drew her sword and attempted to stab him in the back, but Paula blocked with her rapier.

"STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" Renzo called as he rushed toward the two. He rammed Paula to the side with his shoulder, effectively removing her her blade clash with Sung-Sun. Sung-Sun attempted to stab him, but he grabbed the weapon before it hit him with one hand, and with the other he grabbed he forearm and flung her over his shoulder and into the sand.

He followed up with a stomp, but Sung-Sun blocked the with the blunt side of her trident.

"I said I could handle it, didn't I?" He asked his two companions without taking his eyes off of Sung-Sun- or even removing his foot from her weapon. "Stay the hell out of my way, or I'm going to kill you."

"She would have cut through you like Swiss Cheese, you dumbass!" Paula clenched her fists. "FINE! If you want to die, then go ahead!"

 _Now that he lost the element of surprise, he'll surely die._ Priscila thought. _But if that's what he wants, that's what he wants. I'm not going to stop him._


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Gun Versus Sword

Tosen once again only barely dodged Harribel's and Dingo's long ranged attacks. He Flash Stepped in to attack Harribel, but the gunman Sonido'd between then and shot at his head. Tosen Flash Stepped away, only barely dodged the bullets.

He then dropped down at Dingo from the air, but Harribel's water crashed into him, sending him sprawling into the sand. He vanished before her follow up attack landed.

 _It's useless._ He thought, drenched in water. _I can't get either of them. I suppose the phrase a hunter who focuses on two hares catches neither is true. So perhaps I'll have to focus on one of them._ He sized up both of his opponents. _The boy's energy is weaker than Harribel's by a significant degree. I doubt he'd even be able to wound me. I will focus on him until I have defeated him, then I will battle Harribel by herself._

The Soul Reaper flung himself toward Dingo, who let a wild grin spread across his face. A massive amount of spirit energy exploded around him and he yanked his trigger back. Rather than sending a torrent of bullets, one massive energy bullet flew toward Tosen.

The former Captain Flash Stepped out of the way, and reappeared a great distance away from him. His eyes widened behind his visor. _This boy's energy... it suddenly shot up. That attack would have cut me in half if it hit me. How was he so much weaker a moment ago? Was he suppressing his energy?_ He hissed, "you would dare hold back against me, Arrancar? Underestimating me will lead to your death."

"I'll keep that in mind." Dingo said plainly, his smirk still evident on his face.

* * *

Severiano and Monica stood on opposite sides of Noe. Monica pointed her halberd ready to thrust it into her opponent's throat. Severiano gripped his dagger with one hand. Noe readied to defend against either opponent with her trident.

Almost at the exact same time, Noe and Monica stabbed their polearms toward each other. The trident's blades held onto the larger weapon without a problem. "He who strikes first wins, huh?" Noe asked, smirking.

Monica nodded.

Suddenly Severiano soared toward Noe, stabbing at her side with his knife. She quickly let go of her trident with one hand and grabbed his forearm. Taking advantage of the fact that she only had one arm on the weapon, Monica charged at her, stabbing at her chest.

Noe ducked and yanked her trident back. He threw Severiano back while blocking the blade of the halberd with the blunt end of her weapon. She quickly ducked and disengaged, leaping away from her opponent.

* * *

Sand circled around Zaffon's feet, but he launched himself into the air to avoid the attack. He fired a cero at Runguganga, while he ascended.

Suddenly a short sword slashed his back. He quickly spun and swung his sword at Lurk. But she had already vanished by the time that he had turned. _Damn it. She neutralizes her energy so I can't find her. And if I take the time to look, Runguganga will surely kill me. Whenever I attack him, she'll counter me._ He looked around the area. Sand was flowing around the entire area. _And his damn sand isn't helping things. It's like these two were made to work with each other._

Zaffon fired another cero at Runuganga as a test. Once again, Lurk slashed his back, but this time Zaffon thrust his sword at her without turning around. It hit something hard and solid. He turned to see Lurk had blocked his blade with her shield. She Sonido'd away.

Zaffon felt his back with his non-sword hand. _Right now I've got an X slash. I assume she'll also give me a vertical and horizontal slash as well, then she'll go for a thrust. Slashing is generally more effective when you're up against an opponent with a hierro. And unfortunately Hierro is only skin deep. After the skin is peeled away, you're as vulnerable as a new born. So I've got two more slashes left and one stab before I'm done._

Despite predicting his own death, not a single emotion showed on his face. Even his eyes remained completely the same as when he was ahead in the battle.

Lurk suddenly called from the sands, "are you afraid?"

"No," Zaffon said without having to stop and think. "No, I'm not afraid of my death. However, I'd much rather die because of superior swordsmanship, not guerrilla tactics. I'm not afraid, but I am annoyed that I can't do anything against you. If I could land a single blow on you, it would probably kill you. You've proven that when you blocked your attack with your shield. And all I need is a single good attack and Runuganga will die before too long."

Lurk didn't respond.

"If you use guerrilla tactics, so will I. You can't counter attack me if you can't keep up with me, can you?" He asked as he blitzed around the air.

* * *

Nelliel and Pesche flew into the air, simultaneously slashing at Rico. "You can't counter two of us at once!" Pesche called. "Your wings only defend your back!"

Rico smiled as he blocked Nel's sword with his own. Pesche's blade came inches from hitting Rico, but the wing on his left shoulder folded and blocked the attack before it hit him. "That may have been a reasonable strategy, but it's wrong." He explained, as he sent Pesche flying with a wing to the face, and he kicked Nel in the side, sending her stumbling back a few steps.

The former Espada floated down to the ground, right next to Pesche who was peeling himself off the ground.

"Use your heads," Rico laughed, "I've been blocking the guy with my wings and the more powerful girl with my sword. So I'm targeting one of you with each of them!"

"So we'll simply need to be faster than your defense." Nel told him.

"That holds true for every fight, doesn't it? If you're faster than the other fighter you'll win, right? Perhaps. But that doesn't account for strength or technique. You'll need to faster, stronger, and have better techniques than I do."

"I get it..." Pesche mumbled. "He's not fast. Which is why he waits for us to attack first. He may have fast reaction time, but he's not fast enough to follow up. Which means he's a sitting duck."

"What's the plan?" Nel asked.

"He fly up to meet him. We start to circle around him at different speeds. He'll follow one of us, then the other can attack him."

Both flew into the air, one at either of his sides. "Now you're thinking," Rico complimented. "However, you can't beat me with just two of you. You'll need at least three to have a chance."


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40: The Hallway of Doom

Matthias and Wonderweiss arrived to Hueco Mundo, passing Lurk and Runguganga fighting Zaffon on the way. The two parties ignored each other.

Matthias saw Ichimaru waiting for him in front of the door. Casually leaned against the wall. He waved to them as he threw the door open and walked in.

Matthias and Wonderweiss burst through each door.

"Kill 'em, Shinso." Ichimaru commanded, and his blade shot Wonderweiss in the chest. The blow forced him back, but it didn't shoot through him. The tip of the blade had a tad of blood dripping from it.

 _My one opportunity to get a surprise attack and I blew it. His Hierro is stronger than I thought. I guess that means I'll have to shoot him harder next time. But if I hit that exact spot, I should be able to cut through him much easier._ Ichimaru thought as he took a few steps back.

Both Matthias and Wonderweiss charged forward. There wasn't enough room in the hallway to support both of them, so Matthias has to fall back behind him. Then he leapt over him, charging up a bala in one hand and gripping his sword with the other.

Wonderweiss shot two ceros at once.

Ichimaru flash stepped out of the way of all their attacks. Smoke filled the air in front of him. His movements were temporarily hidden. _I can't take them both on like this forever. Sure, I now have the advantage in this enclosed space, but they've already discovered a work around- by jumping over each other._ He took a deep breath, gripping his sword with both hands. _I'll have to take one of them out, while I have the chance. At this rate, I have no idea if I can shoot through Matthias' armor. Which means my better option is to take out Wonderweiss. He's already wounded anyway._

The blade extended and blasted the modified Arrancar in the chest, tearing a hole right through him. The force of the attack threw him against the wall, blood splattering everywhere. Gin retracted his sword, and stepped out of the smoke.

"You asshole!" Matthias roared, swinging his sword down at him. Ichimaru side stepped and dodged the attack.

"Ban... Kai..." Wonderweiss mumbled for the final time, as purple energy began to float around his mouth. The blast flew out and collided with Ichimaru's side, knocking him to the ground. The attack tore his uniform as well as burning his skin.

Matthias swung his sword down at him once more, but Gin vanished.

 _I didn't expect Wonderweiss to be able to move after a stab like that._ Ichimaru thought, standing behind Matthias. _His attack surprised me. But it won't happen again. His spirit energy has vanished._

* * *

Solomon and Massilo exchanged attacks. Neither landed an attack, as both could either dodge or block the other person's Zanpakuto. Solomon came close a few times, and so did Massilo. But neither sustained any injury.

Solomon suddenly lunged at him, stabbing at his side. Massilo side stepped him and swung down at him with both hands, howling like a banshee as he did so. Solomon took a step away from him, and the blade collided with the ground.

Both combatants jumped away.

A cold breeze floated through the air and made Solomon shiver, despite being covered in hair.

"This is getting fun!" Massilo laughed, leaning his sword against his shoulder. "But you need to release your Zanpakuto, so this battle can get even more exciting!"

"You first. Then I'll do the same."

"Sorry, my friend, but this is as strong as I get!" His grin broadened. "I have no Resurreccion! Not even a Bankai!"

"You are an Arrancar, are you not?"

He laughed, "you dare question me, monkey?" He shook his head. "When most Hollows became Arrancar, they sealed their power into their swords. However, I sealed the power into myself! I discarded the ability to use Resurreccion so I could always be at my strongest point!"

"Then I apologize. I will not use my Resurreccion on an unreleased opponent. And that's final."

Massilo frowned, "fine, but that means the battle won't get any more interesting than it is right now..."

"If I released my Zanpakuto, it would kill you."

"You say that like it should scare me," Massilo said with boredom creeping into his voice. "I'm not afraid to risk my life for a good fight."

"Risking your life is very different from throwing it away."

"If I die from a good fight, it won't be throwing it away." He gripped his sword once again. "I've grown bored. Now attack!"

* * *

Donn roared and flung himself at Shakars and Daliza once again. The two Arrancar were quick enough to dodge, but only Shakars was fast enough to stab him with her javelin. It wasn't a lethal blow, and it wasn't even a crippling blow. Still, Donn howled like a maniac and flew into the air.

"Can you hold him off for a little while?" Daliza asked his companion. Shakars nodded. The two jumped away from Donn's attack, Daliza to the left and Shakars to the right.

Daliza began to bounce away from Donn, but the Arrancar began to follow him. Shakars leapt into his shoulders and began to stab him repeatedly.

"Trap, Araña." He mumbled, then spirit energy began to glow around around him.

Donn now focused on swinging his club at Shakars with his immense speed. She was fast enough to block his attacks, but being as he didn't disengage and try to go for huge heavy attacks, she didn't have enough time to counter.

Eventually she flipped over him and started running away from him. Donn followed.

 _Hurry up, Daliza... I can't hold him off forever._ She thought, despite knowing that he would be working as fast as he possibly could.

After dodging him for nearly five minutes, finally she heard Daliza call, "I'm ready!"

She sprinted as fast as he could in the direction of his voice. And because they had trained together during Ichimaru's simulations, she knew to leap over an invisible wall. Something Donn didn't try to do.

Immediately he got tangled in lots of webs, that wrapped around his entire body. Daliza, now with two extra sets of arms coming from his shoulders, and he now had eight eyes total.

Donn roared and released a massive amount of dark brown energy, then it exploded around him.

Daliza and Shakars were both knocked back. When the spirit energy finally cleared, Donn was free from the webbing. And now he looked completely different. He was significantly bigger, his arms were hairier, and his muscles were at least twice as large.

He pounded his fists into the ground and flew toward Daliza, even faster than before. A hard blow slammed into Daliza's sternum, and sent him into the ground. Donn punched him hard in the chest, feeling bones cracking beneath his fist. He grabbed onto his head and lifted him off of his feet. He roared and tightened his grip.

"Let him go!" Shakars growled, stabbing him in the back with her javelin. Donn spun around, swinging Daliza like a ragdoll, slamming the boy into his partner. Sharkas was sent sprawling in the sand a distance away, with her weapon still protruding from the raging Arrancar's back.

 _I can't move..._ Daliza thought. _I can't even lift my hands to defend myself... I'm going to die here... I'm going to leave poor Shakars all by herself... but I guess I'll give her a little gift before this maniac kills me..._

He weakly opened his mouth, and sunk his fangs into Donn's fingers. The large Arrancar howled and let go of him. Daliza crumbled to the ground. He tried to stand back up, but Donn grabbed his neck and lifted him up, roaring in his face. Then his grip tightened.

A loud snap shot through the air.

"DALIZA!" Shakras called, eyes wide.

* * *

Harribel suddenly stopped. A sense of dread built up in her chest. She didn't want to fight anymore. She just wanted to take the rest of her forces back and call off this pointless war.

"Harribel?" Dingo asked, turning to her. "Are you alright?"

"Wonderweiss... and Daliza... both of them just... died..." She mumbled, her voice barely audible.

"I know," Dann said, without a hint of apology in his voice. "But if you keep thinking about it, it'll affect your ability to fight, and you'll wind up dead. And no good will come of that."

"But I-"

"But nothing!" Dann growled, his spirit energy building all around his body. "We can mourn for them later. But as of right now, we can't do anything for them. If we defeat this man, perhaps we can prevent someone else from dying. But as of right now, this guy is enemy number." He said, pointing directly at Tosen, who remained unmoving.

"You are right..." Harribel said, the strength returning to her voice. "We're going to wrap this battle up quickly."

Dingo pointed his gun at Tosen. "So, why haven't you moved to attack us, Soul Reaper?"

"Do you think that I need an opening to defeat you?" Tosen asked. "I have yet to release my Zanpakuto. Do you think that you can defeat me as you are now?"

Dingo tapped his gun. "Hate to break it to you, genius, but I haven't released my Zanpakuto either."

The Soul Reaper clenched his teeth, but said nothing.

* * *

Lilynette Sonido'd toward Baraggan, shooting two bala at him. He shot his respira at her, but she vanished. As she did so, Starrk appeared behind him and shot a cero at him. Just the same, the respira flew at him, and just the same, Starrk vanished.

Lilynette was suddenly directly above him, shooting two at him once again. He tried to attack her, so Starrk got in close and shot at him, disappeared, and the cycle continued like that for quite a while. None of their attacks landed, but they were getting closer and closer to him.

"DAMN IT!" Baraggan howled, "as the Segunda Espada it is a failure that I can't defeat two unreleased Arrancar while I'm using my Resurreccion!"

"Aww... are you gonna cry?" Lilynette sneered. "Face it, Baraggan. You can't beat us."

"You said just 'you can't beat us'." He quoted, then his faceless skull seemed to smile, "that made me realize something. You're fighting two-on-one."

"Oh, really?" Lilynette asked, mock surprise in her voice. "I never realized that! Thanks for pointing it out, oh-great-and-wise-one!"

"You're fighting two-on-one, but in your released form you become one being. That ruins your advantage of fighting with two of you. Which means you're not going to get any stronger than you are now."

Lilynette couldn't help but laugh. She laughed so much tears filled her eyes. "You... you are so stupid!" She choked out, continuing to laugh.

"What is so funny, Gingerback?"

"We haven't needed to use our Resurreccion yet, and you are already released. Which means you're not going to get any stronger, but we still can. Which means we've already won this battle, you just haven't realized it yet."

"DAMN YOU!" Baraggan roared. "FOR THAT YOU DIE BY MY AXE!" Black energy began to build up around his hands.

Starrk's eyes widened. "Uh, oh..."

* * *

Notes: I forgot to post a chapter last week, sorry. So I posted two today, because I just now realized that. Again, I'm sorry for not doing that last week.

Another thing to note is that I'm graduating High School soon. I wanted to finish this story before I graduate, but my last day is tomorrow, so that's not going to happen. My new goal is to finish this story before my birthday, because things might get hectic around that time, and I don't know if I'd be able to hold down a story once a week. And I'm going to do everything in my power to make that happen. I might even force out episodes twice a week, like I have done on previous stories.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Speed of a Blade

 _So... Wonderweiss is dead._ Ichimaru thought to himself. _He's dead and I killed him. I had nothing against him, but I killed him anyway. Did I really have to do that? I could have just..._ He shook his head, and began to focus on his new opponent.

 _He's fast._ Matthias thought. _He's far too fast. It's insane to get that much faster over such a short amount of time. Which means... he must be using his Bankai. Which is what Wonderweiss was trying to tell me. He was tricking me to make me think that he still had a more powerful form in order to demoralize me. Well that's not going to work._ The Arrancar tossed his Nodachi off to the side. _Lurk was right. I'm far too slow with this big hulking weapon. I'll have to make to with my fists._

Ichimaru opened his mouth to speak, but the large Arrancar lunged at him, throwing a punch at his head. Gin dodged, but had no time to counter. Matthias kicked off the narrow wall and punched at Ichimaru once again, who Flash Stepped a few feet away, and made the Arrancar punch the wall. The concrete spider-webbed beneath his fist.

* * *

"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!" Yammy Llargo howled, "I'm Invincible! Now that I'm in my released form, the madder you assholes make me the stronger I'll become!" He shot a cero from his fist at each of his opponents. Both dodged effortlessly, and both countered with a cero of their own. Yammy swatted at Mosqueda, who flung himself out of the way.

/That was too close./ Mosqueda thought.

"Be careful." Ulquiorra warned him, shooting ceros down at him. Yammy then began to shot a barrage of massive ceros all around him. The Espada grabbed onto the Privaron and flew into the air. The ceros were getting close to them.

"Let go of me, I'm weighing you down. You can't effectively dodge while holding me." Mosqueda told him.

"As you wish." Ulquiorra told him.

Mosqueda flew downward, releasing his Zanpakuto in mid air. He built up all of his power in his fist, and he punched down into Yammy's head. There was a massive shock wave of energy, and Yammy cried out in pain. He transformed once again, taking the form of what looked like a dinosaur. Mosqueda went to fly away, but Yammy grabbed onto him.

"You're not getting away, you shithead!" Yammy roared.

* * *

Noe roared as she stabbed her trident toward Monica, but Severiano grabbed the blunt part of the weapon with both hands. "Now!" He shouted.

Monica charged in with her halberd, but Noe swept Severiano's leg, then Sonido'd out of the way.

"Damn you!" Noe shouted. "If this was a one-on-one battle, both you would be dead!" She pointed her trident at Severiano. "Get ready, Diabla!" Instead of spiritual energy filling the air, flames shot all around her. Severiano pushed Monica out of the way, burning his own arm in the process.

When the flames finally died down, Noe had crimson skin and a forked tail. Her trident was gone. "Now you're dead!" She howled.

* * *

"Strangle to death, Anaconda." Sung-Sun said. Instead of waiting inside of spirit energy like most Arrancar, she immediately wrapped around Renzo with her body. She tightened around him, attempting to strangle him.

"So you have a snake Resurreccion too, huh?" He growled, "that's annoying." Then he began to shot bala into her side.

Mila Rose and Apacchi floated above the two, and began to shoot small bala down at him, in order to avoid hitting their companions. Mila Rose kept an eye on the other two Arrancar, who hadn't moved.

Renzo finally made enough space for him to fly out. He looked around for his next target, and he flung himself at Apacchi. Mila Rose slashed down at him, but he blocked the attack with his forearm. Not a hint of blood.

Sung-Sun grabbed his arms and yanked him backward, and Apacchi stabbed him in the side. Still, the blade didn't penetrate his skin. He roared, throwing the snake woman over his shoulder, into her comrades.

"Damn..." Apacchi mumbled, rubbing her head. "It looks like we'll have to release all our Zanpakuto. Against one guy, nonetheless. This sucks!"

"Devour, Leona."

"Thrust, Cierva!"

Renzo roared in response.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42: I'm Getting Really Lazy With my Writing Again

Zaffon was flying around the massive hollow as fast as he possibly could. As he was flying, he volleyed ceros and balas at him. Of course, the sand blocked all of them before they hit Runuganga.

 _If I block a significant deal more of them, his spirit energy will defuse mine and I'll die._ Runuganga thought.

 _It seems that I out-smarted Lurk. I'll continue with this strategy until there's only one opponent to worry about._ Zaffon thought.

Just then, Lurk flew right at him from in front of him, and slashed him across the shoulder, which knocked his flying pattern off, and he came to a complete stop. "I didn't expect you to change your strategy," Zaffon admitted, turning to her.

"I didn't want to, but I had to. If I wanted to keep you from killing Runuganga, I had to keep you from doing that. So go ahead and try to fly around again. I'll fly around in the opposite direction, and I'll cut off your head the next time."

"You know, most Arrancar wouldn't care if a hollow died. It's just a hollow, after all. It'd be like if a human had a neanderthal as a pet. You aren't like an Arrancar at all, I realized. You don't seem to like to fight, you use guerrilla tactics, and you're absurdly good at using your spirit energy. Arrancar typically like to fight, always fight head on, and usually are barely good enough at spirit energy control to use pesquisa."

"You don't seem to like to fight yourself."

Zaffon shrugged. "You responding like that means that I am right. I enjoy fighting quite a bit. Just not like this. You are barely an Arrancar, Lurk. And I'm about to prove it to you." Black energy began to glow all around his body. "Rip apart, Gigante."

Suddenly spirit energy exploded all around him. Lurk had to lift her hand to protect her face. "He's using his Resurreccion? Already?" Lurk asked.

Now Zaffon had no sword, but massive claws coming from his fingertips, and huge fangs coming from his mouth that stuck out of his lips at uneven angles. Now he was covered in black hair, to the point where you could barely see his face. He suddenly flew into Runuganga, blasting ceros and bala at him.

Lurk took off after him, but he was too fast in Resurreccion. She couldn't catch him.

Runuganga blocked the energy attacks with the sand, which made all of the sand fly in different directions.

Zaffon didn't slow down. He suddenly flew right into Runuganga, spinning claws and fangs all over the sand-based hollow. Then all the sand hit the ground. His spiritual pressure vanished.

Zaffon turned back to the woman, and grinned. "Now it's a one-on-one battle, Lurk."

"Runuganga did mention he couldn't take very many more of his attacks. His Resurreccion was just too much for Runuganga to handle..." She shook her head. "Now I'm going to kill you." She drew her sword.

"Is that right?" Zaffon asked. "Without even using your Resurreccion, you think you have a chance to defeat me?"

"Yes." Lurk growled.

* * *

Dondochakka was now a significant deal smaller than he was previously, probably around the size of Pesche. But he had a massive shell on his back, with many, many needles sticking out of the shell. He also had needles on his arms and legs, but his head and chest were completely exposed.

Tesla punched down at him, but Dondochakka simply turned his back, and allowed Tesla's attack to send him flying. But as his fist made contact, many needles stabbed into Tesla's fists.

He reached his hand up to his face and bit into them, yanking them out before spitting them on the ground.

 _If I attack him directly he'll continue to stab me. I'll have to keep my distance._ He vaulted into the air then flew away from him to keep his distance. He turned to see Dondochakka was still following close behind him. Tesla began shooting ceros at him, but Dondochakka effortlessly spun out the way.

"How annoying." Tesla noted.

* * *

"DIE!" Nnoitra howled, while swinging all of his blades down at Grimmjow at once. The Sexta flew into the air, kicking Nnoitra hard across the jaw. The Quinto swung the swords upwards, which caused Grimmjow to pivot in the air, and grab onto the handles beneath the blades, and allowed Nnoitra's swing to send him flying through the air. As he did so, he shot a cero at his back.

Nnoitra spun around, flinging a few of the blades at him. Jaegerjaquez responded by kicking the spinning blade into the dirt. He then flew at him, clawing at his face. Nnoitra lifted his arms to protect his head, but Grimmjow still cut just above his opponent's eye.

"You're going to regret that." Nnoitra warned.

"Oh, will I?" Grimmjow responded, grinning at him. _I've been able to avoid being cut so far. He's only taken minor damage. I was trying to cut out his entire eye, but I only managed to give him a tiny scratch. It's not even enough to blind him from the blood. This is pathetic. I won't remain in this fight for very long unless something else changes._

He lifted his arm and bent his elbow, so his hand was close to his shoulder and his elbow was pointed at his opponent. Suddenly, small black object dislocated themselves from Grimmjow's arm and flew at Nnoitra at a high speed. The Quinto tried to slash them out of the air, but they were faster than he expected. They latched onto him, as as soon as they connected they exploded.

"You son of a bitch!" Nnoitra howled, as smoke filled the air. The smoke covered the wound that now manifested on his chest. "How dare you think that you can defeat me! I'm stronger than you!"

"You say that," Grimmjow said, "but that doesn't mean it's true."

"SCREW YOU!"

* * *

Massilo suddenly charged at Solomon, stabbing at him with his sword. Solomon dodged the attack, stabbing at him with his polearm. The swordsman disengaged, then flung his sword right at him.

The sasquatch lifted his weapon to defend himself, but it flipped around, and cut his shoulder. Massilo yanked the chain, causing the weapon to fly back to his hand. He grinned at his opponent as he flew at him once again, but this time he launched himself into the air, to go for an aerial strike.

Solomon pointed his spear up at him, trying to impale his opponent.

He had plenty of time to change his attack, but it didn't seem as though he would. He soared down at him, ready to slash him apart. Right toward the spear tip.

But at the last second, he pivoted out of the way, and slashed Solomon across the shoulder. Blood exploded onto him, staining his white clothes. Massilo readied to disengage again, but his opponent punched him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.

Solomon then planted his foot on his chest, stabbing down into his shoulder. Massilo swung upward, with his wounded arm, trying to counter. But Solomon's was just out of his range. So he switched to an attack on his legs.

Solomon leapt into the air, hovering above his opponent.

* * *

Yammy, now appearing like a dinosaur, snatched Mosqueda out of the air. Mosqueda pushed with all his might, but Yammy's massive bulk made it impossible to escape. "Damn it!" Mosqueda grumbled.

Suddenly, Ulquiorra flew in and slashed off Yammy's entire hand. The Cero Espada roared in pain, falling backward, looking at where his hand used to be.

"DAMN YOU!" Yammy yelled, smacking at Ulquiorra. The Cuarta Espada effortlessly dodged out of the way.

"Even when I'm un-released, you still won't be able to wound me even at your most powerful state, Yammy Llargo. I suggest that you stand down now." Ulquiorra ordered, pointing his fingers at him. A green cero glowed around his fingers. "Or I will kill you."

"YOU STUPID BASTARDS THINK YOU CAN KILL ME!" Yammy howled.

"Looks like he's pissed off." Mosqueda said. "We should finish him off with one blow so he doesn't have a chance to transform again."

"I would say that you're too late." Ulquiorra blandly commented, gesturing to Yammy.

Red energy glowed around the giant's body, then he transformed once again. Now he had silver armor glowing all around his body, and he only had a single set of legs instead of the centipede lower body that he had before. He still retained his scales that he had when he resembled a dinosaur.

He shot a bala at the two, and they flew in opposite directions to avoid it.

As they did so, he smacked Mosqueda out of the air, knocking him into the ground. Then he punched down into him, shooting a cero at the same time.

With that, Ulquiorra fired the cero he had been charging, but it didn't seem to phase the man. In fact, Yammy grinned. He had just eliminated one of his opponents. He was now fighting only Ulquiorra. Now he stood a chance of winning. Just as long as he continued to be underestimated.

Ulquiorra floated down to Mosqueda, launching a massive cero at Yammy, forcing him to step away from him.

"You are still alive." Ulquiorra told him. "But can you fight?"

"He broke... a lot of my bones." Mosqueda grunted. "I won't survive for long. My rib cage his smashed, it'll crush my heart before too long. Do me a favor, Ulquiorra. I know you can do it."

"You wish for me to put you down?" Ulquiorra confirmed.

Mosqueda nodded. "Make it quick."

"As you wish." Ulquiorra lifted his hand, but Yammy smacked him through the air. Ulquiorra caught himself quickly, then flew at his opponent. He cut off his arm, then flew over to Mosqueda. "Are you sure about this, Privaron Espada?"

"Yeah. I won't survive either way, I'd rather not leave the gods waiting."

Ulquiorra nodded, then pierced his throat. "You faced death like a warrior, Mosqueda." He turned over his shoulder to face his opponent. "But not you, Yammy Llargo. You will die screaming."

* * *

Notes: As the title says, I have been getting lazy about writing. In all fairness, though, between going to people's grad parties and setting up for my own, I haven't had a lot of energy. So even when I do have free time, it's been consisting of me playing video games or reading. Also, I've generally been having writing fatigue ever sense the war arc started. Which happened during Coyote Starrk as well. It may be because I just shouldn't write war arcs, or maybe it's because I subconsciously don't want the story to end (as both have been right near the end) so I extend it by not wanting to write.

This doesn't change my end-all-be-all goal of finishing this story before mid-June, I was just letting you know why my writing has been sub-par lately.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Dream Attack

Loly and Menoly stood back to back, both of them searching for their opponent with their eyes and their pesquisa. They couldn't sense him at all.

But they could hear him laughing. Loly would've rather listened to nails on a chalk board than his ear-splitting laughter.

"Come on out, coward!" Loly shouted. "Are you afraid of us, Rafael?"

The laughing stopped. "Am I afraid of you?" His seemingly disembodied voice asked. He no longer sounded amused. He sounded like he was ready to kill someone. "Don't be ridiculous. It is you who is afraid of me. I can smell it."

"I'm not the one who's hiding in the sand!"

"You know what, girl? I really don't like you. So I'm going to make you suffer more before killing you."

Suddenly, Rafael was standing right in front of Loly. She gasped.

"I'm going to make you watch as your friend dies, girl." He suddenly blitzed toward them.

"Menoly!" Loly cried.

Menoly began turning around, but Rafael was too fast. He shot to Loly's left, then shot right in toward Menoly, who was still turning around. The blades that extended from his fingers were lifted, ready to pierce her throat.

Blood splattered to the ground.

"Damn it!" Loly groaned.

"Hmm. Missed." Rafael mumbled, yanking the blade from Loly's stomach.

Half of a second before the man's blade connected with Menoly, Loly jumped in the way. Because she was airborne, the blade collided with her stomach rather than Menoly's neck. The blood that had been spilled was Loly's instead of Menoly's.

"Shit! Are you alright, Loly?" Menoly asked, grabbing her friend's arms.

Rafael disengaged, vanishing into the sands. _What the hell just happened?_ He asked himself. _I either missed or she jumped in the way. If she jumped in the way, that would mean she's faster than me. And that's not possible. No woman would ever be as fast as me. So I missed? Maybe it was just a fluke. I was simply moving too fast, and the friction from the air made it so I couldn't keep my arm straight. Yeah, that's it. I'll have to go a little slower next time._

"I'm... fine." Loly grumbled, gripping her stomach wound.

"You're not fine, you're hurt. If you keep fighting you might bleed out. You have to get out of here, I can-"

"No you can't." Loly interrupted. "You were about to say that you can take him by yourself. But you and I both know that you can't. You were hoping that you could at least hold him back enough to give me a chance to escape. But that's not going to happen. I won't leave you here. Because we're friends. And friends don't let friends die."

"The same goes for you, Loly. If he comes in again, I expect you to dodge it." Menoly warned. "Even with our training from Master Starrk, we can't fight with wounds like that."

"So what's the method?" Loly asked. "How do we defeat this guy?"

By that time, Rafael had finally gathered his thoughts, and began laughing once again. "You can't defeat me! Not with the strength that you have now!"

* * *

"HAAAAAA HHHHAAA HHHA HHHAAA HHHA!" Yammy howled with laughter. "I just killed your ally! Are you going to weep over your lost comrade, Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra looked at him without the slightest bit of emotion on his face. "I feel nothing toward Mosqueda. No sympathy, no remorse, I don't even feel anger toward you for doing that to him. However, Mosqueda did teach me one thing." Ulquiorra began floating into the air. "I have to use all of my power at once if I'm going to kill you." Now Ulquiorra floated over the giant's head.

"Oh yeah?" Yammy asked, amusement in his voice. "How're you gonna do that? You're just going to keep pissing me off no matter what you do you-"

"You will feel so much fear in one moment, that you won't have time to feel anger." Ulquiorra pointed his sword at him. "Imprison. Murcielago." Black and green energy enclosed around the Cuarto. After a moment, it began to rain down. The emerald rain temporarily obscured the black sky from Yammy's view.

The Cero Espada swallowed and took a step back. "Y- You... think I'm afraid of you! I'm the Cero! You are only Cuarto! You're not as strong as me!"

"Then watch." Ulquiorra calmly told him. "Watch as your life comes to an end." Black energy began booming all around him. "Resurreccion. Segunda Etapa."

"What the hell did you just say?" Yammy asked, fear lacing his words. "Are you telling me... you have an ability that is stronger than Resurreccion?"

"Watch and find out, Yammy Llargo." Ulquiorra said.

* * *

Elsewhere, Solomon floated just above Massilo's head.

Massilo grinned. "COME ON!"

Solomon didn't move.

"Fine, if you won't attack I will!" Massilo hurled his blade at him once again.

This time, Solomon was ready. He stabbed his polearm down, right into the chain. And he threw himself, and the blade, into the ground. With the aid of gravity, Solomon's glaive snapped the chain that connected to Massilo's Zanpakuto.

The pale Arrancar starred in shock. His arms were lowered. So Solomon attacked. He lunged forward, stabbing his weapon right at him.

Massilo focused on Solomon but didn't move.

 _If death is what you seek, then I will be the one to send you to your demise. I won't stand between you and what you wish, Massilo. I am, however, disappointed in this fight._ Solomon thought, as his blade punctured Massilo's shoulder.

The pale Arrancar grinned and threw himself forward all at once. Blood ran down the entire blade, and down the wooden shaft. The blade wouldn't have went right through, it would have stopped just about skin deep. But Massilo's lung shot the blade right through him. And he didn't care.

Now that he was down the entire polearm, he grabbed onto Solomon's throat with both hands.

"Can't use your weapon now, huh?" Massilo asked as blood stained his formerly-flawless white clothes. "That's the problem with polearms. Once someone is in your range, you can't really do anything about it. Now we're both unarmed, huh? Guess we'll both die like this."

But Solomon had other ideas. He kneed the butt of his weapon as hard as he possibly could with someone's hands wrapped around his neck.

Massilo yelped like a dog as the blow knocked him back. He grimaced, as he yanked the blade the rest of the way through his arm and gripped it with one hand. "Tell ya what, Solomon..." He said, trying his best to smile despite the excruciating pain that coursed his body. "Toss me my weapon, and I'll toss you your's."

Solomon didn't respond.

"Come on, there's no sense in us fighting with someone else's weapons. And you don't have anything to lose, all you have to do is wait a few minutes for me to bleed out then I'll die and you won't even have to get your hands dirty. So just appease me for a minute and at least pretend to fight."

Solomon nodded and scooped up the jagged blade and tossed it to Massilo, who threw the pole arm to him.

The sasquatch-esque Arrancar caught the weapon, and looked it up and down. It was completely coated in blood. _Not long now... he'll bleed to death._

"It's a shame I couldn't at least see your Resurreccion. It was pretty stupid of me to go after you like that, huh? Maybe I should have learned a Resurreccion after all, to heal my injuries."

* * *

Noe, now appearing like a devil, sent flames bursting toward her opponents. Already burnt from the flames, Severiano leapt in front of his teammate, and tanked the attack. He howled in pain as the flames burnt through his clothes and into his skin. His hierro wasn't powerful enough to block it.

"Damn it..." He grumbled, falling back a few steps, stumbling right into the arms of Monica.

"Are you alright, Severiano?" Monica asked. _He just saved my life... If that flame would have hit me, I'd be done for._

He opened his mouth to respond, but Noe shot more flames at him. He grabbed onto Monica's wrist, and then Sonido'd out of the way. "Awaken, Ciclope." Cobalt energy blossomed all around his body.

But a giant suddenly towered out of the spirit energy. Severiano stood around twenty feet tall, and was extremely muscle bound. His old clothes were torn to shreds. He glared down at Noe not with two eyes, but a single large eye.

"I do not like this release." Severiano admitted in a voice that no longer suited his personality. "I only used it to heal myself. But if that's how it is to be, then I'll use it to defeat you, Noe."

Noe howled, shooting flames up at him. The now massive Arrancar charged a blue cero at his eye, and shot it down into the flames. The flames immediately dissipated, much to Noe's surprise.

Monica suddenly appeared and slashed into Noe's shoulder from behind. Only a sliver of a wound appeared, pissing her off more than actually hurting her. She spun around, creating fire as she did so. Severiano bent down and smacked Noe in the side, sending her flying. But the flames still burnt his hand in the process.

"Ichimaru's illusion mentioned nothing of this flame ability." Monica complained.

"Perhaps he didn't know of it. Or perhaps he is a liar, as Lady Harribel suggested."

"It doesn't matter now. We'll have to coordinate our movements. Your cero can stop her flames, but your body can't. I won't use you as a shield, Severiano. So we'll have to keep moving to keep her on her toes."

"Right," he nodded. "And after that? I can't counter and attack at the same time. And your blade doesn't seem strong enough to wound her."

"I don't know. I'll go in to distract her after your cero stops her flames, then when she's distracted with me you can attack?"

"Not exactly a flawless plan, but it's better than nothing."

* * *

Renzo looked at his now released opponents.

"This is so boring!" Priscila complained, "sitting around sucks so much..."

"We'll just have to wait until Renzo's stupidity kills himself," Paula sighed, "or he'll kill us or trying to help him."

"If he wants to die in battle, then let him die. But I don't want to just sit around..."

The Tres Bestias surrounded Renzo, and began to shoot ceros at him. He flung himself at Mila Rose, and the three switched to balas to shoot him faster. The three began moving at the same speed as him, making it impossible for him to catch up.

Renzo was sent hurtling into the sand, howling in pain. As he lie there, the three switched back to ceros.

"NOW YOU DIE!" He roared, pounding his fists in the sand. His hands began to glow with sickly green energy. "I'll suck up every ounce of your strength, Seperiente!"

"What the hell?" Apacchi asked. "He never had a Zanpakuto, so how the hell is able to release it?"

"You're wrong." Renzo called, from more sickly green smoke. "My Zanpakuto was with me this entire time. When most Arrancar sealed their power into their swords, I sealed mine into my fists. Sealing my power into my fists made me emotionally unstable. Right up until I released my Zanpakuto. So. Paula. Priscila. I could use your help now."

Priscila smiled and cartwheeled through the air. "Yes! I get to fight!" She kicked down at Mila Rose's head, but she blocked with her forearm.

Paula Sonido'd behind Apacchi, smirking.

Renzo, now appearing like a massive snake with a humanoid face, flung himself at Sung-Sun.

He grinned at her. "I told you it was ironic that you had a snake Zanpakuto as well, didn't I? It's only fitting that the two of us fight, and not anyone else."

Sung-Sun didn't respond.

"Come on, you could at least pretend to enjoy the even match." Renzo grinned, showing all of his razor sharp teeth. "That's what makes it fun, Cyan Sung-Sun."

"I don't recall giving you my full name."

"You didn't. But I did my research on you. Although we have similar types of Zanpakuto, all your power comes from your teamwork with the other two of the Tres Bestias. Individually, you're all weak. Won't be hard to defeat you."

"It is obvious that you are trying to get a rise out of me," Sung-Sun pointed out. "But that will not happen." _Even if what he says is entirely true..._

"Fine, then. Then let's get right to the fight, shall we?" He began slithering through the air right toward her.

Priscila flexed her wrists, and blades around the size of her hands appeared at both of her wrists, and she grabbed onto them. She smiled at her opponent, pointing one blade at her and holding one blade closer to her head.

Apacchi turned to face Paula, who was drawing her rapier. "I don't know if you can hear him or not, but my teammate is one hundred percent right. If we worked together from the get go, I doubt any of us would have had to release our Zanpakuto to defeat the likes of you."

"You bitch..." Apacchi growled, tightening her fists.

"She's right," Priscila agreed with a smile. "The Tres Bestias are only famous because of teammate. And when teammate isn't available, you'll lose just like any weaklings. The only reason why you've survived this long is because Harribel has carried you this far."

"TAKE THAT BACK!" Mila Rose roared. "TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW!"

"Calm down." Sung-Sun said. "If you get angry, it'll just be easier for them to defeat you. So relax, and fight the same way that you normally would. We can still communicate, so we can still work together."

"Is that what you think?" Renzo asked. "I don't think you realize just how powerful the three of us are."

Apacchi smirked. "Can't say I've ever heard of Renzo, Priscila, and Paula. What's your group name? Retard, Punta, and Pig-Face?"


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44: A Cricket Versus a Shark and a Canine

"Fine." Tosen said, gripping his sword.

"He's about to release his Shikai. Be prepared." Harribel warned.

"I know, I can feel it too." Dingo responded, getting ready to run.

"Cry, Suzumushi." Tosen called, and a black energy shot all around Tosen's body.

Both Arrancar built up spirit energy all around their body.

Tosen starred in awe, as neither of them seemed to be the slightest bit affected by his ability.

"How on Earth could you both be unaffected?" He asked.

"When a Soul Reaper and an Arrancar fight, it's usually a battle of spiritual pressure." Dingo explained. "So when you use a spiritual energy based attack, someone with superior energy can counter it with their own fairly easily. Imagine throwing a small stone at a riot shield."

"Impossible." Tosen said, pointing his sword at him. "There is no way that you have-"

"Enough, enough." Dingo smirked, "I'm willing to bet that you were gonna say something like 'impossible, there's no way you have superior spirit energy to me, I'm the strongest fighter this universe has to over. Besides Lord Aizen, because I'm too much of a chicken to bad mouth him.' Is that about right? Anyway, just shut up and watch. If you can't comprehend that you actually suck, just stand still and wait until I kill you." His grin broadened. "Make no mistake. I will kill you. My partner here will try to stop me, but you will die by my hand, Soul Reaper."

"Those are some big words, coming from such a small man."

"Why don't you come over here and show me just how much bigger you are?"

"Dingo." Harribel said.

"I know what I"m doing, Lady Harribel." He whispered back.

"You should listen to your teammate. If you don't, angering me isn't the best strategy."

He shrugged. "It's not going to make a difference anyway. The only way for you to beat me is if you jumped right to Resurreccion."

"Then I will prove you wrong. I will prove you wrong by fighting you as I am now, and I will kill you."

/So Dingo was bluffing Tosen. The Soul Reaper has too much pride, and wants to prove Dingo wrong. He might even recognize Dingo's bluff. But he's not going to call him on it, because then that would make him into a coward./ Harribel thought. /Dingo is one tricky opponent. I'm glad he joined our side./

`Matthias punched at Ichimaru, who narrowly dodged the attack. /What I even doing here?/ Ichimaru thought to himself. /Why am I fighting Matthias? We should be on the same side, now that he joined Harribel. But it's not like he'll listen to me. Not after I tortured him from Aizen's command. Not after I killed Wonderweiss. I thought my goal was to group back up with Harribel? Why the hell am I fighting and killing her men if that's what my plan was?/

Matthias punched the ground beneath his feet, and then launched himself at the Soul Reaper. Red energy was building up all around him.

/If I agree with Matthias' goal, then why am I fighting him in the first place?/ Gin thought as he leapt over him.

"DIE!" Matthias howled, as purple energy began to boom all around him.

Ichimaru barely reacted. /I have no place to go to. I can't go to the Soul Society, because I joined Aizen. I can't stay in Harribel's Hueco Mundo, she thinks I'm part of Baraggan's team. I can't stay in Baraggan's Hueco Mundo, because I'm sympathetic to Harribel's side. I can't go to the World of the Living. I'd kill to many innocent people just by being around them. After it's all said and done, I have no where to go. At this point, I'm just fighting to survive. But why survive if this is all my life has to offer?/

Matthias punched at him, and the Soul Reaper dodged, but barely.

/I have no one else to blame but myself, of course. I was the one who went and joined Aizen's side. I was the one who joined both sides of this damn war. So stupid. I can't live like this./

/He hasn't tried to counter attack me in a while./ Matthias thought. /His smile vanished as soon as I arrived, too. Maybe he's planning a big attack. I should finish him off soon./

`"A Segunda Etapa?" Yammy asked, failing to hide the fear in his voice. "That doesn't exist! You're... you're just screwing with me! Even in my angered state, it's not a Segunda Etapa!"

"Silence." Ulquiorra ordered, as he generated a massive green lance in his hands. "Watch and learn as you die."

"NO! NOOOO YOU CAN'T KILL ME! NO!" Yammy howled, as he began to try to walk away.

"A massive opponent makes a massive target." Ulquiorra warned, as he hurled his Lanza Del Relampago into the giant's back. An enormous explosion sent parts of the giant Arrancar flying every which way. Ulquiorra returned to his base form, and he looked around. Gallons of blood stained the sands all around him. The explosion tore through him so easily that it made all the pieces of him unrecognizeable.

"As I expected. You died screaming with agony." Ulquiorra then opened his Pesquisa to see who needed help.

`Sung-Sun shot at Cero at Renzo, who opened his mouth and devoured it. He grinned a monsterous grin at her. "Thank you for powering me up. Any and all energy based attacks strengthen me while I'm using my Resurreccion."

"Damn." She mumbled, beginning to float away from him.

Renzo suddenly lunged at her, and his fangs dug into her right shoulder. She howled in pain and began to try to punch him off.

"Sung-Sun!" Apacchi called, trying to aid her comrade. But Paula stepped in front of her.

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen."

"Damn it!" Mila Rose lunged at Renzo, but Priscila jumped on her back and began stabbing her in the shoulders with her small blades.

/Why are my punches getting so weak?/ Sung-Sun thought. And it was true. To start with, her blows knocked him back quite a bit, now he was barely reacting.

"I bet you noticed by now. I bet you're thinking that you haven't lost enough blood to be this weak." He said, letting go of her shoulder. Blood dripped from his fangs and he grinned again. "With that bite I started draining your spirit energy. I'm going to suck out every last drop, and you're going to die in extreme agony."

He lunged forward again, snapping into her forearm this time.

/How the hell am I supposed to stop this? Spirit energy won't work, the other Tres Bestias aren't close enough to use Ayon, and I'm not strong enough to get him to go away. So... what do I do?/

Renzo's entire lower body began to wrap around her, similarly to how she did to him earlier. She immediately felt like she was running out of breath. She knew she would die here if she didn't do anything.

But what the hell could she do? She couldn't just sit here and die. But her partners can't help her either.

Renzo disengaged again. And he went for her throat.

`Solomon and Massilo exchanged blows. Massilo was bleeding everywhere, but he was still grinning.

"Massilo!" Solomon called.

"What do you want?"

"I decided something. I'll use my resurreccion. You're going to die anyway, so you might as well see it."

Massilo grinned. "YES!"

"Transform, Caballero."

`Sung-Sun dodged Renzo, but only barely. He tightened around her.

"NO!" Apacchi howled, trying to rush forward again. Paula stabbed her in the leg and yanked her back.

"DAMN YOU!" Mila Rose growled as he trucked forward, even though Priscila was still on her back, repeatedly stabbing her.

Ignoring all the distractions, Renzo bit Sung-Sun's neck, and then began draining her spirit energy. The girl suddenly returned to her base state, starring up at him in horror. The last thing that she ever saw was the sickening grin on Renzo's face, with his teeth covered in blood. Then her heart stopped. A spiritual being without spiritual pressure is dead. No exceptions.

Sung-Sun's corpse hit the ground.

Mila Rose stopped, starring at her comrade's body long after it hit the ground. She couldn't even feel the blades entering and exiting her back.

`Harribel froze in place.

"Oh no." Dingo mumbled, sadness creeping into his eyes. "Harribel, you have to go. I can handle this on my own."

The Trecera Espada nodded then vanished.

"You think you can kill me on your own?" Tosen asked. "How foolish of you."

Dingo turned to him. The sadness in his eyes turned to hatred. He was so pissed off that he couldn't even form a response. But his gaze said it all. The man in front of him was going to die. Maybe not right now, but Tosen would die by Dingo's hand. Even if it killed him in the process.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45: If You Kill One Murderer, the Number of Murders Remains the Same, but if you Kill Three...

Mila Rose starred down at Sung-Sun's corpse. A numbness filled her body. Could she really have died? She didn't even have a chance to fight back. Were these Arrancar that much stronger than her? She was such a good person, did she really deserve to die like that?

"MILA ROSE!" Apacchi howled.

Then she remembered where she was. She was standing on a battlefield. And there was someone stabbing her in the back. She spun around and threw her off. Pain shot through her entire body as she did so. She had been stabbed around twenty times in the shoulders. There were many wounds, but they weren't bleeding much, for whatever reason. Whatever, it didn't matter.

Her arms began to ache. It hurt to keep them held up in a stance. Why would it they hurt like this? It felt like she had been fighting for days, but the fight only started minutes ago. There was no reason why she should feel sore already. But it was spreading like a poison through-out her body. More and more of her muscles begged for her to rest.

Poison! That's why she wasn't bleeding. Because her blades were infected with poison, and she used something to keep her from bleeding- so she couldn't bleed out the poison.

"You... slippery... little... witch..." Mila Rose mumbled.

"I was wondering how long it would take for my poison to affect you. The poison itself won't kill you, but it'll make it a hell of a lot easier." Priscila smiled at her. "Sorry, love, but that's just the way it goes."

"Screw... you..." She breathed out. Even her jaw grew tired, and she had barely spoke. Damn it.

Suddenly Priscila was right behind her, with one of her knives pressed into Mila Rose's back. The Fraccion howled and grabbed her wrist with both hands. A mistake. A huge mistake. The biggest mistake she could have made.

Priscila was armed with two knives, one in each hand. Mila Rose was only holding her right arm, with both hands. One of her blades was free. And she reached around and slit Mila Rose's throat.

* * *

"No..." Harribel mumbled, as she traveled as fast as she possibly could. Why the hell were they so damn far away? Why hadn't she stationed them closer to where she was fighting? Damn it... First Sung-Sun, now Mila Rose. She could sense three other spiritual energies around Apacchi. Which meant she was fighting three-on-one now.

Harribel increased her speed.

* * *

"FUCK YOU!" Apacchi howled, and her arm began to section off into tiny sections and disappearing. Suddenly all around her tiny, deformed, Ayon clones appeared. Her other arm vanished too, creating even more of them. There were around seventy five of them in total, and they all flew at the three of them at once.

They latched on, and then all of them charged up Ceros from inside their bodies and exploded.

"Raise Hell, Garra."

"Fade, Descolorarse."

"You sure don't pay much attention." Renzo said, slithering out of the smoke. "I can absorb spiritual energy based attacks. Which means you just powered me up."

Suddenly a Werewolf lunged out of the smoke that Paula had left. She lunged at Apacchi, who turned to flee.

But Paula tackled her into the sand and raked her claws across her back.

* * *

"No, no, no, no..." Harribel mumbled as she increased her speed beyond anything she thought possible.

* * *

Apacchi cried out in pain and thrashed around. But Paula had her pinned down pretty easily. Without arms, Apacchi couldn't fight back.

"You're own stupidity lead to your death." Paula growled in her ear. "You might have escaped if you ran to start with. If I was released now, I'm not sure if you could have gotten away or not."

Tears ran down Apacchi's face. "Go ahead and kill me, you damn coward! You just killed my friends!"

"As you wish." Paula then slashed out her throat.

And Harribel slammed into her, sending her flying. The Tercera Espada stopped, looking around. "Damn you." She growled, her voice eerily calm. "I'm going to crush all three of you."

"The Tercera Espada is more than we bargained for." Paula said, trying to run away. But Harribel grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked backward.

"No, you're not going to escape this. Not after what you did."

* * *

Tosen was charging at Dingo, who was continuing to dodge and shoot low powered bullets at him.

Solomon landed on the ground behind Dingo.

"What do you need, my friend?" The Sasquatch asked, back in his base form.

"Don't worry about me. The mission I had when I left Harribel's side was to recruit Lurk to our side. Long story short, I succeeded but she needs our help right now."

"I can't just leave you."

"Yes you can. You can't help here anyway, you don't have the range to fight him."

Solomon nodded. "I see." Then he Sonido'd away.

"So Lurk is a traitor, huh?" Tosen asked. "She was the one who said that Ichimaru is a traitor. Hypocrisy is strong with her."

"Shut up." Dingo ordered.

* * *

"Is that all you have?" Rico asked, as he floated above his two opponents. "Come on, this is just getting sad." He suddenly felt an immense and intimidating spirit energy. Right behind him. He slowly turned to see Ulquiorra Cifer standing there.

 _Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. How do I fight someone this strong? Okay, hang on. Calm down. He is the strongest of the three, so I will fight him with my sword. And I'll allocate one of my wings to each of my initial opponents. Alright, I'll be fine now. Okay, okay, okay. I'll be fine._ Rico thought, his hands beginning to shake so he gripped his sword tighter.

* * *

Starrk and Lilynette watched in horror as a black axe began to appear in Baraggan's hand. "I thank you, Primera Espada." The Segunda said. "You were the one who gave me this idea. To harden my Respira into a solid object, the same way you did with swords back in Fake Karakura Town."

"I wasn't aware that you were paying attention to how I was fighting," Starrk admitted. Although he was only trying to make conversation to stall. Because he needed to think of a plan to defeat that. Logic would dictate that he could still send his Respira out to attack, even after he solidified it into an axe. Which gives him an extra chance to react when Starrk and Lilynette attack him. They would have to be extra careful.

Lilynette nodded, almost as if she could read his mind.

A large riot shield appeared in Baraggan's left hand, and black energy coated his back and his feet and the top of his head. Now he couldn't be attacked from above, behind, or beneath.

"Starrk, our hit and run strategy won't work anymore." Lilynette said. "No matter how careful we are, we can't get passed his guard. So we need to keep him at a distance with our speed and assault him with our ranged attacks. He won't be able to attack us if we move faster than him."

"Right."

The two began to Sonido back and forth so quickly that they created a wall of Sonido Clones, and they began to shoot ceros and balas from every which way.

Baraggan lunged forward and slashed his axe at Lilynette while at the same time lifting his shield to protect his face. The girl pivoted around the axe, but then spikes shot out of the shield, so she shot balas from her feet to cause her to move away even faster.

"This isn't going to work." Lilynette told Starrk. "We need to be faster. We need to move as one."

Starrk nodded, holding out his hand. "Then come on."

Lilynette grabbed onto Starrk's hand.

"Kick about, Los Lobos!" Starrk howled. Blue energy blossomed around them and they combined into one being.

"And you expect a different result than the last time?" Baraggan scoffed. "You really are foolish, Starrk."

"Maybe so," Starrk said shooting a fast and a slow cero at him. Baraggan blocked both. "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try."

"You're gonna die, Baraggan!" Lilynette shouted from her pistol form.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Destruction of a God Killing Spear

 _What the hell is the point this fight if I have no reason to raise my sword?_ Ichimaru thought to himself as Matthias charged at him with a loud roar. Purple energy began bubbling around the Arrancar's fist.

 _If I have no place to call home on this universe, then why am I still here?_ The Soul Reaper suddenly dropped his sword.

A crushing blow slammed into his chest, sending him flying through the air. He collided with the wall behind him, almost at the exact same time his sword hit the ground.

As he hit the wall, there was a loud cracking noise, coming from all over Gin's body. He hit the ground hard, and didn't get back up.

"You dropped your sword." Matthias said. "Whatever, if you want to die, then I won't stop you." He grabbed his own sword off the ground, and walked toward the Soul Reaper. "This is pay back for all those experiments you did on me, Gin Ichimaru." He drew the sword, and tossed the sheath off to the side. "No, that's not it. This is payback... for EVERYTHING!" He lifted the sword above his head.

Ichimaru didn't respond.

Matthias readied to bring his sword down on his back. But then someone else appeared, making him freeze in place. The person stepped right between the Arrancar and the unconscious Soul Reaper, and light blue energy began to glow all around Ichimaru's body.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing, Roka Paramia?" Matthias growled, "you're healing the enemy!"

"I am not!" Roka yelled back, without taking her eyes off of Gin. "You just don't understand his motivations."

"I don't understand, huh? Is that why he killed Wonderweiss? Is that why he experimented on me all those years? Is that why he betrayed Harribel?"

"Everything he's done has been for the greater good." Roka growled.

"How the hell-"

"Shut up and listen! His goal was to kill Sosuke Aizen, and that was it. He didn't want to experiment on you, but he had to, to gain Aizen's trust."

"So I was just a means to an end to him?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But think about it like this. You are deep under cover. Your mission could save the lives of a lot of people. But they want you to do some things that you consider immoral. Are the lives of a few people greater than the lives of the many?"

"How do you know?" Matthias asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"How do you know that he considered it immoral? He lives and breaths lies. That's what he does. He lies, and lies, and lies. Lying is probably second nature to him." He cleared his throat, lifting his sword up above his head again. "I believe what I can see. He experimented on me. He killed Wonderweiss. Aizen didn't tell him to do that."

"He was defending himself!"

"Bullshit. Gin Ichimaru is the enemy. And if you heal him, then you're my enemy too."

for the first time, Roka turned and faced him. "I have no intention of dying at your hand, Matthias Iscariot. But I will heal this man."

"Then unfortunately, I'll have to kill you both." Matthias slashed down at her, but Roka Sonido'd out of the way, taking Ichimaru with her.

"You don't have to do this, Matthias." She said, lifting the Soul Reaper onto her shoulders.

"Yes I do."

* * *

"So, you believe that you can defeat, even by yourself?" Tosen asked. "Fine. You kill die because of your arrogance. Bankai, Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Korogi."

Suddenly, everything around them turned black. Dingo looked around. He opened his Pesquisa. Nothing. "Bankai, huh?" Dingo asked. But he couldn't hear his own voice. _No sight, sound, pesquisa, or even scent. This is going to be more trouble than I realized._

"I know you can't hear me," Tosen called, "but this is how you're going to die, Dingo. Many opponents have seen my Bankai, and only one has remained as calm and composed as you. A beast of battle known as Kenpachi Zaraki. My only regret of being alive is that I couldn't have killed him. But I have the chance to. After I kill you, I will-"

Suddenly, Dingo began spinning around at hyper speed by spamming Sonido. He lifted his gun and he started shooting. The bullets shoot out many times faster than they had before. It was uncanny how fast he was shooting.

Tosen leapt into the air, with only a few bullets finding their way to him. One lodged into his stomach, several hit his leg, and one hit his arm. None of them were serious enough to kill him, because Dingo had to decrease the potency of the attacks so he could shoot faster.

"He's staying level. He's leaving his head wide open. I thought Dingo would be smarter than that." Tosen simply floated over Dingo's head. His spin hadn't slowed down in the slightest. "Unfortunately, this has to end sooner or later. If you were paired up with any opponent besides me, you might have won."

He stabbed his sword down, right on Dingo's head. As soon as the tip touched him, a cero shot Tosen out of the air.

"Can you hear me, Tosen?" Dingo asked, continuing his super sonic spin. "What the hell, I don't lose anything if you hear me or if you don't. I still had my sense of touch, as I could still feel my gun in my hand and the clothes on my back. So I started spinning around as fast as I could, while charging a cero. I knew I could move so fast that you wouldn't see it. And I also knew you'd have to either come at me from above or below. I didn't foresee you digging through the ground to attack me, so I put all my bets on above. And I knew that my hierro would be strong enough to tank your attack, because you're pretty weak."

"DIE!" Tosen howled, and his Bankai vanished. Suddenly a pure white hollow mask appeared on his face.

"Oh, another form? Ichimaru told me all about your other forms." Dingo said. "So how many transformations was that? Shikai, Bankai, hollowfication... that's three. And I've yet to transform once. I bet I won't have to. I bet you'll use your Resurreccion and I will still be using my gun." He shrugged. "It's not like you're that strong or anything, regardless of what form you're using."

Suddenly Tosen was right in front of him, slashing down his chest. At the same time, Dingo shot a massive blast right in face. Tosen disengaged. Dingo looked down at his chest to examine the wound. He was bleeding, but the attack wasn't more than a quarter of an inch deep. It ran all the way from his lower stomach to the chest, but it wasn't deep enough for him to bleed out.

Tosen felt his mask. The attack gave the mask a small crack, but he suffered no physical damage from it. If he didn't end it quickly, Dingo might be able to take the upper hand.

* * *

Rafael charged at Loly and Menoly again. Suddenly both vanished, and they flanked him with ceros. He growled and spun around, swinging a wild attack at Loly's head. "DIE, YOU WHORE!"

Menoly shot him in the stomach with a cero of her own, knocking him on his face. Then the two girls walked over, and both planted a foot on his chest. The two began to charge a cero, both of them pointing it right at his head.

"Before we kill you," Loly grinned, "I want to tell you something. There are many women who are even stronger than the two of us. Tier Harribel. Lilynette Gingerback. Nelliel Tu Oldenschwank. The Tres Bestias. All could kill you without a problem."

"Go to hell!" He howled. "You can't beat me!"

Then the two of them released their ceros.

* * *

Donn charged forward, throwing many blows at Shakars. She backpedaled, dodging his attacks. "Roar, León!" Shakras called, and her teeth and nails grew longer and sharper. She continued to dodge and avoid every one of Donn's attacks, while hitting him with smaller counter slashes every once and a while. And as time went on, she could hit him more and more.

He was slowing down.

/I get it,/ Shakras thought. /When Daliza bit him, that wasn't a last ditch effort to beat him. He knew he was going to die there. Daliza was poisoning him, so I could beat him! When he was at his full power, I could never stand to face him like this... but... thank you, Daliza.../

* * *

Water began to form all around Harribel's body, then it flew forward all at once, slamming into Paula, who Harribel was still holding down.

Renzo and Priscila flew at her from either sides, but more water formed and flew at them too.

Paula drowned in moments, so Harribel tossed her corpse off to the side. She turned her attention to Renzo, who began flying through the air. Priscila lunged at her from behind, stabbing her shoulder from behind. The young Arrancar's eyes widened when Harribel's Hierro blocked every bit of her blade.

The Tercera Espada turned. Priscila, who had been grinning not moments ago, screamed in horror. The water slammed into both sides of her head at once, breaking her neck on contact.

Renzo's fangs sunk into Harribel's forearm, and blood dripped from his mouth. But then Harribel lifted up on that arm so she could bring him closer. And then she grabbed his neck with her other hand and squeezed. Renzo gasped for breath almost immediately, which was a huge mistake. As soon as he breathed in, water flew down his throat. He tried to spit it back out, but it just kept coming.

Harribel dropped him and looked around. "My Tres Bestias..." She mumbled, kneeling in the sand. "This can't be happening..."

* * *

Starrk blitzed around Baraggan, blasting him with ceros all around his body. The Segunda Espada tried to counter attack him, but the Primera was just too fast.

"Damn you, you son of a bitch." Baraggan growled. "I will have your head on a silver platter, Coyote Starrk. And I'll do the same to Tier Harribel. That fool believes that she would make a better Hueco Mundo than I."

Starrk didn't respond, he continued to Sonido all around him, shooting him from a distance with his guns. Suddenly an exponential amount of azure energy shot up from all around his body, Starrk groaned and Lilynette grunted.

"HAHAHAHAH!" Baraggan laughed, taking a step away from him. "You expected this to be any different from the last time? You really are a fool, Coyote Starrk!"

But something was different. Starrk and Lilynette weren't resisting it this time. They were working with it.

Baraggan charged at them, but then the energy exploded, knocking him back. And someone else stood there.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Crouching Rabbit, Hidden Demon

A massive amount of spirit energy exploded, waking Hugo from his sleep. He yawned, and sat up. He looked around. "Oh, I must've fallen asleep during the battle, because nothing interesting was happening..." He looked up, seeing the energy booming all around Starrk's body. "Oh, that looks fun to watch. I'll get a better view..." He began to float up into the air, then floated to about thirty feet from them. He sat down on the air, using his spirit energy to keep himself afloat. His chains dangled from his wrists.

Neither fighter seemed to notice him. The energy boomed once again, and blue smoke filled the area.

* * *

Silent tears rolled down Harribel's face. "I'm sorry, Mila Rose... Apacchi... Sung-Sun... I couldn't protect you. As your Espada, I failed all three of you. If I cannot keep my own Fraccion alive, then how can I call myself the Empress of Hueco Mundo?" She rose to her feet.

A horrible pain in her chest suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She clenched her jaw and waited for it to pass. But it didn't pass. It just kept getting worse and worse. She gripped her chest, as if trying to keep her heart from breaking. It was then that she could no longer control her tears. She collapsed to her hands and knees and sobbed like a child.

"Why? Why did this have to happen?" She pounded her fist into the ground. "Damn it... why did this pointless war have to start? Why did I send them out here to die? Mila Rose, Apacchi, Sung-Sun, Wonderweiss, Renzo, Daliza, Mosqueda, and Rudbornn... all of them are dead... and it's my fault." She took a few deep breaths to control her sobbing.

She looked up at the black sky that loomed overhead. "What the hell can I do to repay their deaths?" She shouted, "please! I need help!"

But no one was there to help her. She was alone, surrounded by corpses. She was alone, and there was no one to help her. She hugged herself, trying to keep herself from shivering as an icy wind blew through her.

"What... can I do?" Harribel asked.

Suddenly Starrk released a massive amount of energy. She shot to her feet, and flew toward him. _Why did he release this much energy? There's no way this can be good... I have to help him._ She rubbed her eyes as she flew forward. Her sad expression was now replaced with the stone cold gaze of the Tercera Espada- Tier Harribel.

* * *

Rico's eyes widened at the feeling of unfamiliar spirit energy. _I feel sorry for the poor bastard who's fighting that guy._ He used his Pesquisa, and realized it was indeed his master. "As much as I'd love to stay and fight you idiots, the King of Hueco Mundo needs my help. You can try to stop me if you wish, but there's no way you can keep up with me." He suddenly flew through the skies, toward the battle of Starrk and Baraggan.

"Are we just going to let him get away?" Pesche asked.

"Lady Harribel suggested that we keep the death to a minimum." Ulquiorra stated plainly. "So letting him go could be our best option, in her eyes."

"But we can't just let him attack Master Starrk while he's already in a fight!" Pesche pointed out.

* * *

That is correct," Ulquiorra nodded. "Then let us pursue him."

* * *

"Feel that?" Severiano called. "That's the most powerful of our forces going head to head. Now, we can still fight if you want, but I think watching this battle would be more beneficial."

"In what way?" Noe growled back.

"Think about it," Monica said. "you're fighting us because of loyalty to Baraggan, right? You want Baraggan to sit on the throne? So what happens when Baraggan loses? Are you going to continue fighting fruitlessly, even though your candidate is dead?"

"Lord Baraggan won't lose."

"I think Master Starrk would have something to say about that," Severiano shrugged. "If you want to die, then we can continue fighting. It's up to you, really. The odds are stacked against you in this fight. Monica and I have been keeping up with you for a while now, and she hasn't even released her Zanpakuto. How do you think you'd stand against two released opponents?"

She swallowed and weighed her odds. "Fine. If Lord Baraggan loses, it would be best if our remaining forces could regroup and pick a new leader."

* * *

Zaffon suddenly stopped. Solomon arriving was surprising, he didn't expect to have to fight two opponents again. He couldn't let them create a strategy. He had to attack Lurk, before she could hide. So he flung himself forward with all his speed and he punched at her. But Solomon caught his hand and threw him back. Lurk vanished.

"Damn." He smiled at them.

A slash cut his back almost immediately.

Then Starrk's spiritual energy went through the roof. "While I'm not particularly worried about my master, I think watching this fight would do us a lot more good than fighting here."

"You just don't want to die." Lurk gloated. "You know you'll lose."

"I will lose," Zaffon admitted, "your argument has some merit. But I do not fear death. I just don't wish to die for no reason. If one of our masters dies, then this fight becomes meaningless. If you wish, we can settle which one of us is strongest later on."

* * *

"Lord Baraggan!" Tosen shouted behind his hollow mask. He turned to run to him. And he immediately knew it was a mistake. He felt Dingo's energy rising once again, and he knew Dingo was right behind him.

Dingo flew at him from behind, charging up a huge blast. Tosen began to turn to face him, and Dingo arched his gun around, shooting a massive bullet the size of a sword as he arched it down.

A headless corpse of a Soul Reaper and a hollowfied head hit the ground in two separate places. "Adios, tarado," the gunman said just before he Sonido'd away.

* * *

Donn didn't seem to notice the spirit energy. He just continued attacking and attacking. Shakras wasn't in the position to turn her back on him and run away, so she continued battling him. He was still slowing down because of Daliza's poison. She silently thanked him once again.

* * *

Grimmjow rolled out of the way of Nnoitra's axe. "Pay attention, dumbass!" The Quinto shouted. "If you lose focus again, it'll be the death of you!"

"That's your master's life on the line up there. Don't you care at all?"

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to, Grimmjow? Does it look like I care about that asshole? I just want to kill you!"

"Why'd I even bother to ask?" Grimmjow thought, _and I know that his Fraccion won't fall back without Nnoitra's order. Dondochakka isn't out of the woods yet._

* * *

A massive group of people surrounded Starrk and Baraggan. But the spirit energy was so great that they couldn't get within sixty feet of them.

"Stay back!" Starrk shouted from the smoke that enveloped him. "If you get any closer, I can't guarantee your safety!" But they couldn't get any closer anyway, or else the spirit energy alone would crush most of them.

"If any of you try to get in the way of this battle, I'll crush you myself." Baraggan growled. "That goes for anyone on Harribel's side or my side."

"I never would have took you for an honorable fighter, Baraggan." Starrk said as he stepped out of the smoke. Coyote was shorter than he was before, but only by a few inches. His eyes had grown narrower, his hair had grown longer, as did his facial hair. His jaw appeared much more angular. He no longer had Lilynette's eyepatch. And, perhaps the most notable attribute, was a long silver tail that waved through the air. His guns were gone, as were their holsters.

"You look even more pathetic than you did in your previous form." Baraggan sneered. "And you're still alone. Which means there is no hope of beating me."

"Alone?" Someone unfamiliar asked, still hiding in the smoke. "Sorry, but Coyote will never be alone again."

Baraggan took a deep breath. He didn't even sense the person before. It wasn't Lilynette. The spiritual energy was much to fearsome. But who the hell could it be?

A young woman, around Starrk's new height, stepped up next to him. Lilynette Gingerback was no longer a child, she was a strong young woman. Her uniform she borrowed from Menoly had transformed into a white fur coat, with a wolf head for a hood. She had the hood up, which had replaced her hollow mask helmet. Lilynette's green hair was much longer, reaching almost to her hips. And she had a weapon. She held a large rifle in her right hand and she was leaning it against her shoulder.

She turned to Starrk and smiled. "Hey, Starrk."

Starrk nodded. "Hey, Lilynette."

"Do you think that is enough to scare me?" Baraggan asked, creating a cannon out of his Respira.

Starrk charged forward, and Lilynette aimed the gun.

Baraggan fired his cannon, and almost simultaneously Lilynette fired three shots. Three invisible forces slammed into the Respira-cannonball, shattering it before it got anywhere near Starrk.

The Primera lunged into the air, and flew down at him. Baraggan swung the axe at him, but he flicked his tail into it, smashing before it touched him. Baraggan lifted his head to defend himself, but Starrk punched it, shattering it like glass. His hand steamed, with only slight burns.

Baraggan gasped as Starrk pulled his fist back for another punch. He instinctively reached for him, and Starrk grabbed onto his wrist. Black energy began forming around his wrist, but it began fizzling out.

Starrk lifted his left hand above his head, and the rifle was thrown to him. Baraggan changed his attention to Lilynette, who was suddenly right in front of him with a wolfish grin plastered across her lips. As she flew at him, she threw her upper body backward, and kicked him hard in the chest, knocking him through the respira wall that he created to protect his back.

Starrk, still holding onto him, shot in point blank in the face with the rifle. Respira reduced the damage, but Baraggan was still hit. His flesh-less skull took a severe crack, that ran from the roof of his head all the way down to his top half of his jaw on the left side of his face.

Starrk and Lilynette took a few steps back, and Baraggan regained his composure.

"Stand down, Baraggan." Starrk ordered. "You'll die here."

"You can't stand against us while we take this form." The young woman explained, "there's no way you can survive this battle. If you leave now, we'll let you live. But if you continue on like this, we'll be forced to kill you."

Baraggan laughed. "You think that you can defeat me? That's bullshit. Sure, your spirit energies scared me at first. But now? They're gone. This new form must take a lot out of you. And you fired four shots between the two of you, so that probably takes even more out of you. So I'm willing to bet that you're only able to take that form for a few minutes at most."

"Our energies vanished?" Starrk asked, confused. He turned to Lilynette, who shrugged.

Harribel stepped forward, but someone grabbed her shoulder. Instictively she swung her arm to knock them off, but Dingo retracted his arm to avoid it.

"Don't try to stop me." She warned him, as she began walking again. "I have to help."

"No you don't." Dingo shook his head, "he has simply become so strong that we can't feel his energy. Notice how it didn't plummet when Lilynette fired the gun. It didn't even decrease. It just become stronger."

"Are you saying that Starrk and Lilynette have surpassed us so much that we can't feel their energy?"

Dingo nodded. "And you know who else seemed to have no spirit energy?" He nodded to Hugo, who was sitting the closest to the battle. "He was experimented on my Aizen, the same as Matthias. He might have wanted to have a plan to fight Starrk or Baraggan, in case one of them decided not to work with him."

"That boy is a monster...?" Harribel mumbled.

Dingo nodded once again, but he didn't speak this time.

Baraggan flew at his opponents, but the two vanished. His eyes widened and he looked around. Lilynette was on his right with the gun, and Starrk was standing there with his hand out, as if he was charging a cero.

Baraggan flung himself toward Starrk, and an invisible impact slammed into him, knocking him back several feet. _That felt like... a cero. But there was no spirit energy. I couldn't see it or sense it._

As Baraggan was recoiling, Lilynette fired two shots, one hitting each of his legs. Baraggan groaned and fell forward, and Starrk kicked him across the jaw, knocking him back once again.

"You have to stand down if you want to live." Starrk warned. "This is your last warning, Baraggan Louisenbairn. If you don't stop now, you'll die."

"I WON'T BE THE ONE WHO DIES HERE!" Black energy began clouding around his body. Then it condensed all around him, making Baraggan completely hidden within the cloud. More and more spiritual energy built on top of itself, making a massive circle surrounding the Segunda. And it was all Respira. Anything that touches it dies.

But then he felt something slam into it. He felt his energy cracking. So he built it back up, and he sent spikes out.

Then he heard the gun going off. Six shots, then he felt something incredibly fast slam into his side. The Respira shattered and hit the ground beneath him before it disappeared. Blood was beginning to stain Baraggan's clothes.

Starrk was now wielding the gun again, and Lilynette had bloody fists. The two began walking toward him. He created a cloud again, but he didn't harden it. He just flung it right at them.

"YOU WILL DIE BY MY HAND, STARRK!" He grinned to himself. Even if it barely affected him earlier, this much of it would corrode all over his body at once. No way that someone could just-

The two were walking toward him. It was as if the Respira was avoiding them.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" He growled.

"Your Respira is a spiritual energy based attack." Lilynette told him. "So all anyone needs to do to counter it, is use superior spirit energy. All we did was make spirit energy all over our bodies and it protected us."

"There was no spirit energy!" Baraggan howled as he charged at them.

Starrk let go of the gun and it landed in the sands far beneath their feet. Baraggan punched at Starrk's head, but the Primera caught his fist. Steam began to radiate from their grip. Baraggan grinned, then he realized that it was his own hand that was steaming and not Starrk's. He tried to yank his arm away, but Starrk didn't budge.

He reached for him with his other arm, but Lilynette grabbed that hand. Then she pulled her free hand back, and swung down onto his shoulder. His arm was torn off immediately. Almost as if it was cut by a severely sharp sword. He howled in pain, struggling against Starrk's grip.

"No! This isn't how this works! You're supposed to lose here, not me!"

Lilynette grabbed onto him by his waist, and began building up massive amounts of invisible energy. Starrk twisted the Segunda's arm around his back, and then grabbed his scalpel with his free hand. He began building up energy just the same.

"DAMN IT!" Baraggan roared as his bones began to crackle and vanished to dust. Empty clothes floated downward, and a gust of wind blew them away.

"Ripping his arm off was a bit bunch, Lilynette."

She shrugged.

Starrk turned to their audience, who watched in awe. "Anyone who was on Baraggan's side will be spared, as long as you no longer attack our forces. Should you attack us again, I will eliminate every one of you myself. Understood?"

"This isn't the last you've seen of us!" Rico called as he flew away. Many of Baraggan's other forces fled as well. Hugo seemed to vanish.

* * *

Not far away, Grimmjow created massive blue claws on all of his finger tips. Nnoitra created his extra sets of arms, all with scythes. The two Espada roared at each other as they clashed one final time.

Grimmjow's claws cracked, but all of Nnoitra's scythes were shattered. The claws tore right through Nnoitra's hierro, and cut him almost in half. He was dead before he hit the ground.

* * *

"No... my master..." Tesla said, turning toward Grimmjow.

"I will let you live if you leave now." Dondochakka told him.

"No. No!" Tesla turned, punching down at him. "My master is dead for a second time! And for a second time I could do nothing but watch him die! The least you could do is allow us to reunite in the afterlife!"

Dondochakka closed his eyes and he floated into the air. His massive pins penetrated Tesla's throat like butter.

* * *

Donn collapsed from exhaustion, and Shakras stood above him. She roared like a lion as she slashed out his throat.

* * *

"So, it's over?" Dingo asked.

"No," Harribel told him. "My last order as Empress is to bury all of the dead."

Starrk and Lilynette began steaming all over their bodies. The gun in the sands beneath them began to fizzle out.

"What do you mean your last order?" Starrk asked, returning to his initial form. "No one else is suited to be leader."

"No," she shook her head. "I failed. Too many of us have died. I cannot be the leader."

"That's bullshit." Lilynette said. She did not return to her initial form. She remained nearly Starrk's height. The only difference is that her uniform was now what she had borrowed from Menoly, only now it was too tight. "That's bullshit and you know it, Lady Harribel. This was a war. Everyone knew that they had a chance of dying, and they fought anyway. You can't blame yourself for that."

"My Tres Bestias are dead."

"I know," Lilynette said, her voice falling to a whisper. "And I'm so sorry. But they knew what they were getting themselves into. It wasn't your fault."

"Perhaps you're right. But I'm unwilling to lead any more. I can't make the choice of who lives and who dies anymore." She closed her eyes. "Starrk-"

"Forget it. Me being a leader would be like herding cats." He shook his head. "You need someone that can make tough choices, they have to be strong enough to instill fear upon their subordinates, and they need to be smart enough to see through bullshit."

Harribel nodded. "I have someone like that in mind..."


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48: The Finale

Warmth... When Gin Ichimaru woke up, the first thing he felt was warmth. He opened his eyes and looked around the room. He was in a hospital bed in a narrow room. He sat up, expecting pain. However, there was no pain to be had. It was all gone.

The Soul Reaper got out of his bed, and set the blankets down on the mattress. He realized that the clothes he was previously wearing had been replaced with a hospital gown, and his clothes were neatly folded on the counter next to his bed, with his sword sitting next to it.

He quickly changed his clothes and opened the door. An Arrancar was sleeping just outside the doorway, with a gun across his lap.

Ichimaru walked over, and shook him by the shoulders.

Dingo opened his eyes and looked up at the Soul Reaper. "Hey, Ichimaru..."

"Hey yourself. What's going on here?"

Dingo yawned, "well I was hanging out over here because I was trying to avoid doing work. And you were in the hospital getting healed."

"Why?"

"Why? Because I didn't want to do any work, man."

"You know that's not what I meant, Dingo." Ichimaru smiled, despite himself.

"Oh. Roka healed you because she believed in your cause."

"And why did Harribel let her?"

"Harribel isn't the leader anymore," Dingo said, rising to his feet. "To be honest, that's kinda why I was hanging out here."

"You're kidding me. I'm far too humble to become the leader of Hueco Mundo."

Dingo starred at him blankly for a moment. "Oh, sorry. That's not what I meant. I'm not nominating you, or anything. Having a Soul Reaper lead Arrancars would be a disaster. But you are smart, so I wanted your help."

"With what?"

"So, Harribel stepped down as Empress-"

Ichimaru's eyes widened. "Why would she do that?"

"Because all of her Fracciones died. She didn't feel like it was right to lead, if she can't keep three people alive. We had a funeral and buried all the corpses and stuff yesterday and the day before. Anyway, so what I need your help. She won't talk to anyone, but I want you to try to talk to her."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the outsider here."

"An outsider, huh?" Ichimaru nodded. "What makes you think that she'll listen to an outsider?"

"You're the man who lost everything. You lost your place in the Soul Society, you lost your friends, and your family. And then the same thing happened in Hueco Mundo. But this time it's different."

"Different how?"

"It's different because I'm offering you a place to stay here. I listened to Roka and Nel. You really affected them. They presented a good argument to keep you on board. You should really thank them, Gin."

 _I thought I was alone... I hardly interacted with those two, yet they argued for me to be allowed to stay here._ Ichimaru looked up at the ceiling. _I'll have to pay those two back. I don't know how I'll ever make it up to them._

"If you're wondering how, even after people began to suspect that you were on Baraggan's side, you were the principle reason why Nelliel was able to return to her true form. She is eternally grateful for that. So if you died- if you were killed by a spiritual energy enhanced punch after you willingly dropped your sword- she would be absolutely devastated. She'd probably be even worse off than Harribel is right now. And Roka faced down the same Arrancar that hit you. By herself, I might add. Without any power or strength, she faced him down. She can barely stand up for herself, yet she stood up for you. That should tell you something."

Ichimaru took a deep breath. _My death would have caused more people to suffer than I realized. I... I will never give up ever again. I'll live my life. Because now I have a place where I can call home. Las Noches._

* * *

Deep in Hueco Mundo, Rico and all the other Arrancar that served Baraggan were assembled. Rico, Zaffon, and Noe were the only ones there.

"Is Lurk dead?" Rico asked.

"No, she joined Harribel's forces." Zaffon told him.

"That bitch betrayed us!" He shouted, punching the dirt.

"It would seem so." Noe sighed.

Rico stood up and began pacing. "We need a leader. Someone needs to be able to take charge. And that person is going to lead us straight to Las Noches, and we'll stomp them into nothing. Starting with Lurk. Then Harribel. Then Starrk and Lilynette. Any arguments?"

"Why don't you lead us, Rico?" Zaffon suggested.

He shook his head. "I'm not powerful enough, nor am I the leader type."

"I'll do it."

All three of them turned to see Hugo standing there with a stupid smirk on his face. He walked up to them, dragging his chains behind him. "You see, as I was watching that fight, I copied Baraggan's Respira." To demonstrate, he held his hand out and black energy glowed around it. He reached his hand down to the sand, and the energy ate through the sand immediately. "So, does anyone have any qualms with me being the leader of this group of four idiots?"

* * *

"So I've been thinking..." Ichimaru said, as he walked down the hallway with Dingo. "You mentioned that Harribel stepped down. And you asked me earlier if I wanted to stay here. Does that mean you're the leader of Hueco Mundo?"

Dingo turned to him and grinned.

A long silence filled the room.

"Heck no I'm not." He finally said with a laugh. "Look at me, do you think I'm leader material? I just slept on the ground outside of a hospital room so I could avoid doing work. The leader if Ulquiorra. But it was a very close race, so Roka and Nel talked to me about you first- before it was decided who the leader would be."

"So did you speak with Ulquiorra?"

"Not yet. But I'll get there."

"And if someone attacks me?"

"I'll defend you with my life." Dingo smiled and tapped his fingers against his gun. "None of these guys have seen what I can do with my Resurreccion. I might even be more dangerous than Starrk's Segunda Etapa!"

"He has a Segunda Etapa?"

"Oh, you were already out of commission at that time! Man, it was scary. He tore through Baraggan like it was nothing. And, Lilynette... changed."

"She changed?"

"Yep. And she didn't change back." He held his hand up above his head. "She's about this tall, and she's a lot more serious than she was before. Scarier, too. I wouldn't want to get on her bad side."

"So if the Espada were to regroup, then how would you decide their numbers?"

"Starrk is the Primera, and so is Lilynette. I'm the Segunda. Harribel is still the Tercera. Ulquiorra is the Cuarto. Nelliel is Qunito. Grimmjow is Sexta. Solomon is Septima. Severiano is Octava. Shakras is number Noveno. And Matthias is Espada Diez and Cero."

"In that case, at his most powerful then Matthias' energy is more potent than Starrk's?"

"Uh... no. I guess and Starrk and Lilynette would be Espada Cero and Matthias would be the Primera and Cero."

The two made their way to Harribel's room. "After you talk to Harribel, you can settle your unfinished business with Matthias. And I'll make sure that he listens."

Ichimaru nodded. "Thank you, Dingo."

* * *

"Oh, I forgot." Hugo said, walking back out of Baraggan's old base. He knelt down in the sand, and heaved someone onto his shoulder. "I brought this with me."

He set the unconscious body of Szayelaporro Granz in front of them.

"All I have to do is wake him up, then he'll be a good addition to the team." Hugo lifted his hand above his head, and he smacked the Espada on the stomach with spirit energy enhancing his attack.

Granz' eyes immediately opened.

"Now we're cooking." Hugo said. "We've got a grand total of five retards working together. The first goal is to kill everyone on Harribel's team. The second is... what was Baraggan's all time goal?"

"To free Aizen from the Soul Society." Rico explained.

"That's not real." Hugo shrugged. "The Soul Society is fake, no one actually comes from there. There is only the world of the living and Hueco Mundo."

"The first thing I hear when I come too... and it's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Granz stood up. "I need to go reclaim my wardrobe."

Hugo grinned. "Guess we're attacking Las Noches now!"

"This is going to get all of us killed..." Rico complained, but he still stood up.

Zaffon and Noe exchanged looks, and Zaffon shrugged. "We might as well go with them."

Noe smirked. "We're all gonna die, I hope you know that."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Hugo said, creating Respira all around his body. And with that, the four flew at Los Noches.

But before they could get within a hundred yards, a there was a loud blast. All of them searched the area, and Lilynette stepped forward, gun leaned against her shoulder. "Guess you never learn, huh?"

"Granz, I didn't expect to see you here." Starrk said as he walked up next to his partner. "I guess we'll have to eliminate all of you at once."

Hugo's grin broadened. "Then come on! All of you stay out of my way! Retreat if you have to!"

"I'm staying." Rico told him.

"While I don't particularly want to fight the Primera, I don't want to retreat either." Zaffon said, cracking his knuckles. And with that, the four of them began their battle with the two Primera Espada.

* * *

Notes:

Massive thank you to Fire lord 626 for giving me the idea to write this story as well as being my first beta reader. Huge thanks to chiapetirl for being my beta reader throughout the middle of the story. And thanks to:

Bloody Simpson Chibi , CapitalClassShip, , Dha3000, Gonk droid main, Lobisomen616, Loli Master 69, MyMad-Robotdocter, RSin the Emprahh 23, SARCASTICKITTYCAT, SaddeningKara, TSonya, YaboiNewbie, cowseatgrass, gaara king of the sand, .09, gruntsbreeder, kadjinks, legion9511, lonfiretessa, lucascaccia65, mindmaster123, shirozaruka, thebeserker, uiknmhu, youngfox03, Arran17, Arsacid, Hunt5671, ReadAthon45, Taiski, darkmachines, leonard5, ringtaillemur0, Hallow, Roberto Pelotudo, and any guests that have reviewed my story. And thanks to anyone who read my story but didn't follow, favorite, or review. It's still fine that you did that.

Starrk: Reviews: 95. Followers: 86. Favorites: 79. Views: 41,134. Runtime: 4/11/2016-7/4/2018. Chapters: 104. Word count: 188,368. Over two years worth of content.

Kenpachi in Naruto: Reviews: 42. Followers: 47. Favorites: 53. Views: 23,310. Runtime: 3/16/2016-10/31/2016. Chapters: 74. Word count: 125,578. Just over half a year's worth of content.

War for Hueco Mundo: Reviews: 41. Followers: 28. Favorites: 25. Views: 7,855. Runtime: 6/3/2018-6/13/2019. Chapters: 48. Word count: 93,832. This story was just over a year old.

I'm kinda disappointed that Kenpachi in Naruto still beat War for Hueco Mundo, but I guess Kenpachi does have an extra four years to gather a fanbase. And that also involves the Naruto universe, which I has a larger following than Bleach. Despite the writing being exponentially better in Hueco Mundo than in Kenpachi.

I Joined FanFiction on June 10, 2015. Which means you've been able to see me evolve as a person and a writer for four years. The first story I ever posted on here was a story about a young man called Johnny Lee who joins the Avengers, and I had an entire series about it. I got all the way up to Age of Ultron, and that's where I caught up with the Marvel Cinematic universe. I deleted the series sense then, because I planned on redoing it. I started the project, but couldn't find any interest in doing it so I stopped.

I want yo all to know that this is could be the last story I'll ever write on here. I know I said that before when I said I would switch to Archive of Our Own, but this time it's different. In a few days from now, I'll be eighteen. I'll be an adult, and that's kind of scary. I have no idea what my future holds, and it might not allow me to write on FanFiction anymore. I am truly grateful for the time that I spent on here, and for the people that I've meet. Writing has been a huge part of my life ever sense I was a little kid, and FanFiction was a convenient way for me to do it.

However, just because I'm not going to be posting anymore, doesn't mean you can't talk to me. Here's a link to my discord server that I made a while back so I could talk to both betas at the same time: discord (period) gg/JF7HrSj

Seriously. If you've read this far into my story, thank you. Hell, even if you read the first word and thought it was stupid, thank you.


	49. Chapter 49

Here's the entire document I had set up for this story. I didn't delete very much stuff, so some of it is old. If it seems disorganized... that's because it is disorganized. If I ever needed to find something I just hit CTRL F and I typed in whatever I was looking for. So yes, this document has a lot of vague information on it, and it repeats a lot of information. Vague being that I mention "grandfisher" but I never mentioned him in the actual story. That's because my Beta and I had an idea to include him, but realized it wouldn't really work out so we scraped it, and I just never removed it from this document. Sorry for any spelling errors, this document was just too big for me to spend a huge amount of time on.

* * *

Some have more freewill than others.

Aizen being mad that they haven't come to rescue him yet.

Arrancar found deep in valleys and mountains.

Grandfisher.

Amping up Dondochakka and Pesche.

OC based on White Zangetsu; chain sword?

Loly saving Menoly from an attack that nearly kills her.

What will Salvado do?

OC Arrancar template: Name: . Appearance: . Personality: . Fighting Style: . Zanpakuto: . Resurreccion: . Color of Spirit energy: . (Estimated) Rank: . Other: .

Name: Matthias Iscariot. Appearance: Lizard Man, extendable tail. Personality: Quiet, subservient. Fighting Style: Brawling. Zanpakuto: Nodachi called Destruccion. Resurreccion: None. Color of Spirit energy: Blue, red, to purple. (Estimated) Rank: (Blue): Aaroniero. (Red): Grimmjow. (Purple): Baraggan. Other: Sides to Menoly and Loly.

Name: Perrault Solomon. Appearance: Sasquatch. Personality: Is more passive than other Arrancar. Initially hates the war, but later decides joining up with Harribel is for the greater good. Fighting Style: Kickboxing. Zanpakuto: Glaive. Resurreccion: Sheds fur, gains Greek battle armor. Glaive transforms into a War Axe. Color of Spirit energy: Brown. (Estimated) Rank: Around Nnoitra level. Other: Prefers to stay alone.

(Unused) Name: . Appearance: . Personality: . Fighting Style: . Zanpakuto: . Resurreccion: . Color of Spirit energy: . (Estimated) Rank: . Other: Inspired by Amazon. Harpie type?

(Dead) Name: Paula Cloe. Appearance: Wears a tattered black cloak, large Alucard-esque hat (but it's black). Golden eyes, Black hair with white streaks. Personality: Bossy, easily angered. Zanpakuto: Rapier, called Garra. Release command: Raise Hell. Resurreccion: Transforms into Werewolf, loses all sense of herself. Color of spirit energy: Black. Rank: Would defeat Aaroniero and (pre-release) Yammy in a fight (not at the same time), but her spirit energy is not as potent as their's. Cero gesture: Slash.

(Unused) Name: Salvado Marcelino. Appearance: Pale skin. Black eyes. Long crimson hair. Wears a gray leisure suit. Pointed fangs. Personality: Extremely calm, dedicated, and aggressive. Fighting Style: Speed blitz, attack, jump away- rinse and repeat. Zanpakuto: Chokuto, called Sangre (meaning blood). Resurreccion: Release command: Devour. Color of spirit energy: Crimson. Vampire. Cero gesture: opens his mouth, and then chomps down. Rank: Starving: at the level of Pesche. Normal: Around Grimmjow. After absorbing the energy of someone strong: Around Harribel. Other: Cannot be out under the fake sun, needs to train hollows of spirit energy at least once a week.

Name: Rico Nataniel. Appearance: Wild blonde hair, green eyes. Wears no shirt, due to the fact that he has massive wings on his back. They are black with red tips. Black shorts. Personality: Sarcastic, easily angered. Fighting Style: Reckless brawling. Zanpakuto: Massive two handed straight sword called Fuego (meaning fire). Resurreccion: Transforms into a Phoenix, makes his body much harder to hit. Has a weakness to water in this form. Release command: Conflagrate. Color of Spirit energy: Red. Cero gesture: Wing flap. Rank: Aaroniero level, however, quite a bit more destructive. Other: Wings are as strong as steel in his sealed form.

Name: Severiano Fuente. Appearance: Wears a black trench coat with a hood up, obscuring his tan hair. Blue eyes. Personality: Prideful, protective. Fighting Style: (Pre-release) Savate. (Post-release) brawling. Zanpakuto: Dagger named Ciclope. Resurreccion: Grows a significant deal, becomes more muscular, his eyes form into one- making his vision more sensitive to movement and light, however, loses most of his periperal vision. Release command: Awaken. Cero gesture: Punch (pre-release). From his eyes (Post-release). Color of spirit energy: Blue. Rank: Yammy (pre-release).

Name: Monica Alejandra. Appearance: Long green hair that goes down to her waist. Golden eyes. Wears a black jacket, with a pair of black pants. Personality: Opinionated, has a distaste for unnecessarily violent people, analytical. Fighting Style: Taekwondo. Zanpakuto: Halberd named Serpiente (I'll have to check the spelling on this later, but it means snake). Resurreccion: Hair becomes even longer, which she can extend at her will. It becomes extremely sharp, and turns into needles. Doesn't physically transform, unlike most Arrancar. Release command: Open your eyes. Cero gesture: generates from her eyes. Color of spirit energy: Green. Rank: Ulquiorra level, inexperience in combat.

Name: Rafael Vazquez. Appearance: Brown eyes, shaves head bald. Wears a crimson jacket, with a black undershirt. Blue jeans. Personality: Sadistic, enjoys killing, dislikes women. Fighting Style: Nerve strikes. Zanpakuto: Freddy Krueger glove named Pesadillo. Resurreccion: Becomes smaller and much faster. Loses the jacket. Release command: Dream. Cero gesture: cuts himself, and where ever he cuts himself the cero flies from that place (no blood). Color of spirit energy: Silver. Rank: Zommari level spirit energy.

Name: Priscila Espinoza. Appearance: Pink hair, large green eyes. Wears blue and purple clothes. Personality: Enjoys whatever she does, regardless of what it is (aside from nothing). Fighting Style: Assassination. Zanpakuto: Hidden blade from Assassin's Creed, named Descolorarse. Resurreccion: Turns invisible. Release command: Fade. Cero gesture: Finger snap. Color of spirit energy: Purple. Rank: Nnoitra level.

(Unused) Name: Valentina Terrazas. Appearance: Unkempt brown hair, brown eyes. Wears a black T-shirt and blue pants. Personality: Stupid. Fighting Style: Brute force. Zanpakuto: A Konobo called Tonto (meaning silly, or dumb). Resurrreccion: Weapon becomes larger. Grows in height. Release command: Bash. Cero gesture: Palm strike. Color of spirit energy: Brown/red. Rank: Yammy level (pre-release).

Name: Noe Aaron. Appearance: Short black hair, green eyes. Wears a Spanish military uniform. Personality: Loyal. Fighting Style: Brawling. Zanpakuto: Trident called Diabla (meaning she-devil). Resureccion: Skin turns red, grows a forked tail. Can manipulate fire. Release command: Get ready. Cero gesture: finger gun. Color of spirit energy: Red with black. Rank: Harribel level.

(Dead) Name: Sartino Juare. Appearance: Crazy black hair, blue eyes. Black gi. Personality: Split personality. Usually calm and collected. However, when angry/in a battle becomes a maniac that's impossible to control, aside from defeating in a fight. Indiscriminately kills anything that gets in his way. Zanpakuto: Ginunting, called Dorrar. An odd resurreccion, as he has no release command and he doesn't control when it activates. It's his angry form that's his resurreccion. No appearance change. Cero gesture: Cracks fingers. Color of spirit energy: (Calm:) Orange. (Berserker): Brown. Rank: (Calm): Around Nnoitra. (Berserker): Around Baraggan.

Other Document (this document was meant to be a replacement Espada, after the Winter War. When I created this document, I didn't know that Harribel and Grimmjow survived, so I replaced them too.)

1Dingo Gaudao: Aspect of Death: Humanity. Serious. More human than the rest of them. Spirit animal: Dragon. Sealed form: Tommy Gun. Resurreccion: Skin gets scaley, and he gets a tail. Can blast ceros from his mouth. Zanpakuto name: Humano. Release command: It's time for you to die...

2(Dead) Renzo Ledanaro: Aspect: Envy. Angry that he's not the first Espada, battles him any time he has the chance. Spirit animal: Snake. Sealed form: His fists. Resurreccion: Turns into Orochimaru. When he moves his tongue in a certain way it'll blast a cero. Zanpakuto name: Serpiente. Release command: I'll take every last ounce of your strength.

3Shakars Bisico: Aspect: Pride. Takes pride in the fact that she's in the top three. Spirit animal: Lion. Sealed form: Javelin. Resurreccion: Gets a lion's mane. His teeth grow sharper, gets a tail, and claws. Zanpakuto name: Leòn. Release command: Roar.

4Donn Cervanias: Aspect: Wrath. Fights a lot, gets angry about anything. Spirit animal: Gorilla. Sealed form: Indian Club. Resurreccion: His muscles get bigger, and he gets hairier. Punches and creates ceros. Zanpakuto name: Mono. Release command: Crush.

5Garcia Allendaro: Aspect: Hope. Acts less monstrous than the other Espada. Spirit animal: Falcon. Sealed form: Tomahawk. Resurreccion: Gets all feathery, and can fly. His beak resembles his weapon. Zanpakuto name: Halcón. Release command: Soar.

6Zaffon Mariez: Aspect: Courage. Loves to battle, and feels no fear. Spirit animal: Bear. Sealed form: Average length sword. Resurreccion: Gets claws, and gets hairy. Zanpakuto name: Gigante. Release command: Tear apart.

7Daliza Gurtrude: Aspect: Faith. Gets along with Garcia. Spirit animal: Spider. Sealed form: Axe. Resurreccion: Gets extra limbs, and he can create webs and poison. Zanpakuto name: Araña. Release command: Trap.

8Monito Almorido: Aspect: Betrayal. Loves the drama betrayal, even if he's the one who's being betrayed. Has a crap ton of fraccion. Spirit animal: Scorpion. Sealed form: Dagger. Resurreccion: Turns into the Scorpion from Marvel. Zanpakuto name: Escorpión. Release command: Transform.

9Picizo Mori: Aspect: Lies. Lies all the time saying that he's the strongest Espada. Spirit animal: alligator. Sealed form: Grenades. Resurreccion: Gets all scaly and turns into an alligator man. Zanpakuto name: Caimán. Release command: Spin.

10Hugo Orellana: Aspect: Sloth. Hates to do anything. Spirit animal: Koala. Sealed form: Chains. Resurreccion: Goes to sleep. Zanpakuto name: Perezoso. Release command: Laze about. Notes: Is actually exponentially powerful.

New:

White Zangetsu. Name: Pietro Massilo. Appearance: Wears all white, has a pale face, but has long black hair. Personality: Aggressive, angry, and defensive. Fighting Style: Muay Thai. Zanpakuto: Two handed scottish sword with a long chain, the edges are all erroded away, and he often drags it by said chain. Resurreccion: Gets massive horns, and a white mask with crimson lines running down the face- called Tiron. Release command: Let's go. Color of Spirit energy: White. (Estimated) Rank: Around Baraggan. Other: Fires Cero from sword.

Name: Cirilli Lurk. Appearance: Wears a pair of blue jeans and a white long sleeved shirt. Short red hair, gray eyes. Personality: Humorless, straight-forward, and assertive. Fighting Style: Speed fighter. Zanpakuto: Xiphos and Buckler. Resurreccion: Sword gets longer, shield gets bigger, gets a Dark Brotherhood uniform. Color of Spirit energy: Silver. (Estimated) Rank: Around Grimmjow; gets tired quickly however. Other: Fires cero from a flick.

Baraggan's side: 1Baraggan, 2Nnoitra, 3Tesla, 4Zommari, 5Aaroniero, 6Yammy, 7Tosen, 8(mock) Ichimaru, 9Paula, 10Rico, 11Rafael, 12Priscila, 13Noe, 14Sartino, 15Donn, 16Renzo, 17Zaffon, 18Massilo, 19Lurk.

Harribel's side: 1Rudbornn, 2Starrk, 3Lilynette, 4Harribel, 5Nelliel, 6Pesche, 7Dondochakka, 8Ulquiorra, 9Grimmjow, 10Ichimaru*, 11Wonderwiess, 12Roka, 13Severiano, 14Monica, 15Dingo, 16Shakars, 17Daliza, 18Mosqueda, 19Mila-Rose, 20Apacchi, 21Sung-Sun, 22Solomon, 23Matthias, 24Loly, 25Menoly.

Baraggan's side: 1Rico, 2Noe, 3Zaffon, 4Hugo.

Harribel's side: 1Starrk, 2Lilynette, 3Harribel, 4Nelliel, 5Pesche, 6Dondochakka, 7Ulquiorra, 8Grimmjow, 9Ichimaru, 10Roka, 11Severiano, 12Monica, 13Dingo, 14Shakars, 15Solomon, 16Matthias, 17Loly, 18Menoly.

Loly's side: 1Loly, 2Menoly, 3Matthias, 4Solomon.

Unknown: Salvado, Monito, Picizo, Hugo.

Baraggan: Nnoitra Gilga, Sartino Juare, Rafael Vazquez, Paula Cloe, Tesla Lindocruz, and hollows.

Ichimaru: Pietro Massilo, Renzo Ledanaro, Priscila Espinoza, Zommari Rureaux, and Rico Nataniel.

Tosen: Noe Aaron, Donn Cervanias, Zaffon Mariez, Cirilli Lurk, Aaroniero Arruruerie, and Yammy Llargo.

Starrk versus Baraggan.

Grimmjow versus Nnoitra.

Tosen versus Harribel, Wonderweiss, and the Tres Bestias.

Shakras and Mosqueda protecting Matthias and Solomon.

Ichimaru's fleet versus Rudbornn.

Severiano protecting Roka, who is in deep hiding.

Pesche, Nelliel, and Dondochakka in the building._

Dingo and Harribel versus Baraggan.

Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Ichimaru, Wonderwiess, Roka, Severiano, Monica, Shakars, Daliza, Mosqueda, Mila-Rose, Apacchi, Sung-Sun, Solomon.

Harribel's original plan:

Should Coyote Starrk and Lilynette Gingerback not return in time, Dingo Gaudao and Tier Harribel will be the ones to battle against Baraggan Louisenbairn. If Starrk does return, he will be the one to fight Baraggan. Which will allow Dingo and Harribel to battle against Kaname Tosen. If not, Tosen will be engaged by Monica Alejandra and Daliza Gurtrude. Pesche Guatiche will have a pseudo-battle with Gin Ichimaru.

Alone, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez will battle Nnoitra Gilga. Zommari Rureaux will be swiftly taken out by Ulquiorra Cifer. Ulquiorra will then aid Gantenbainne Mosqueda in battling Yammy Llargo. Perrault Solomon will battle against Aaroniero. Nelliel Tu Oldenschwank and Dondochakka Birstanne will battle against Tesla Lindocruz. Severiano Fuente will battle against Noe Aaron. Wonderwiess Margela will attack Rico Nataniel. Shakars Bisico will battle against Rafael Vazquez.

Cyan Sung-Sun, Emilio Apacchi, and Francheska Mila Rose will play cat and mouse with Paula Cloe, Priscila Espinoza, Donn Cervanias, Renzo Ledanaro, Zaffon Mariez, Pietro Massilo, and Cirilli Lurk.

Explanations: I know I didn't do this very much in this story, but I wanted to make it less good versus evil and more one side versus another. Which is why I included the line about what Lurk thinks about Harribel. I don't really know if it seemed to be too forced or not, because I definitely focused too much on Harribel's side, which gives it the "good guy" feel. It also doesn't help that Baraggan is an asshole.

Dingo's character. In the chapter Dingo and Solomon battled fake Baraggan, Solomon asked him if he had any plans. Dingo said he wasn't smart enough. Solomon then asked /if he had any suggestions/ to which Dingo forms a plan. This wasn't a mistake. Dingo wants people to think of him as someone stupid. Why, you might ask. That's because he wants people to under estimate him. Even his allies. He doesn't want to have to do complicated tasks, so he does menial tasks instead. Dingo's interaction with Lurk show this a lot, so I might not need to mention this explanation at all.

Matthias' character. In his backstory, he saw two things. The first being Gin and Kaname following Aizen without question. And the second was them (the Soul Reapers) treating him like dirt. So when he first meets Loly and Menoly, he treats them much like Gin and Kaname treat Aizen. After Solomon hit him with a verbal punch to the gut, Matthias tried to distance himself as much as possible from his human-doormat persona, he defaulted to the only other one that he knew. Treating people like dirt. While he still respects Loly's and Menoly's opinions, he still shoves his ideas down their throat. Like when he wanted to join Harribel. Speaking of Harribel, while he didn't threaten or insult her, he still spoke as if he thought he was better than her. So he still has a lot of room for development.

Current list:

Baraggan's side: Baraggan, Nnoitra, Tesla, Zommari, Aaroniero, Yammy, Tosen, "Ichimaru", Paula, Rico, Rafael, Priscila, Noe, Donn, Renzo, Zaffon, Massilo, Lurk.

Harribel's side: Starrk, Lilynette, Harribel, Nelliel, Pesche, Dondochakka, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Wonderwiess, Roka, Severiano, Monica, Dingo, Shakars, Daliza, Mosqueda, Mila-Rose, Apacchi, Sung-Sun, Solomon, Matthias, Loly, Menoly, Runuganga, Bawabawa.

First: Baraggan's team has every single member appearing like Baraggan. This throws everyone off for a moment, but Harribel orders them to open their pesquisa and find their foe. Runuganga asks Harribel what he should do, and Harribel tells him to stand by and wait to help back someone up. She notes that hopefully he won't have to, due the fact that he's only a hollow and not an Arrancar.

Lilynette takes her wolf form, fights and kill Zommari, which shows her speed. She kills him for killing Rudbornn and for making Starrk sad. While that is happening, Starrk is holding Baraggan back. Lilynette swiftly returns to Starrk's side.

Grimmjow and Nnoitra hunt each other down. Tesla is with Nnoitra, but Nnoitra tells him to stand down. Dondochakka (and by extension Bawabawa) fight against Tesla, which humors Nnoitra, saying that his fraccion killing one of Nel's would be very fitting.

Dingo vanishes, which the Tres Bestias question Harribel about, saying Dingo was supposed to help Harribel fight Tosen. Harribel says that he already sorted it with him, because he thought he was more suited to fight a certain opponent. Dingo finds and engages Lurk, which she questions how he found her. Dingo says that in the time that they were talking he made a mental note not to forget her spirit energy. She says that she was suppressing it, but Dingo says she can't completely neutralize it. And unlike her, if he's concentrating on a particular spirit energy, he could find it anywhere. She responds that that would be impossible. He then tells her that he was bullshiting, saying that she was the only Baraggan that didn't have spirit energy, which gave her away.

Harribel engages Tosen. Tosen immediately closes his eyes and relies on his spiritual energy sense once again. Wonderwiess will battle Ichimaru.

Ulquiorra and Mosqueda battle Yammy Llargo.

Nelliel and Pesche battle against Rico Nataniel.

Severiano and Monica will fight Noe.

Loly and Menoly will engage Rafael.

Shakaras and Daliza will fight Donn.

Matthias fights Aaroniero.

Solomon fights Massilo.

Appachi, Sung-Sun, and Mila-Rose will fight Paula, Renzo, and Priscila.

Runguganga and Roka vs Zaffon.

The first battle that ends: (aside from Zommari) is Lurk and Dingo. Dingo convinces Lurk that she should join their forces. Lurk then helps Matthias fight Aaroniero. Dingo aids Harribel. Tosen notes that they are the best pair to fight against him, considering they can both try to stay out of the range of his Bankai while still attacking them. He then says that neither of them know the length at which his Bankai can reach. He says that Ichimaru have have told them a length, but he wouldn't know either, because Tosen had been training while Gin was goofing around.

Lurk and Matthias take down Aaroniero swiftly, which is around the time Ichimaru uses his Bankai to take down Wonderweiss. Matthias then charges to fight Ichimaru and Lurk helps Runguganga and Roka fight Zaffon.

(Phase one)

⦁ Starrk and Lilynette Versus Baraggan.

After realizes that Baraggan's Respira had weaknesses, the two begin to pressure him quite a bit. Baraggan curses to himself that he is being pressured while in Resurreccion while they are in their base form. He then realizes that the advantages they have now are because they're fighting two on one. And their Resurreccion would ruin that advantage. He shouts to them that they can't get any stronger than they are now for that reason. Lilynette laughs and calls him an idiot. Baraggan growls, asking why they haven't used it yet. Starrk then says that they haven't needed it yet, saying that they're still trying to see if they can get him without it. This angers Baraggan to the point of releasing a Segunda Etapa.

⦁ Grimmjow VS Nnoitra.

After clashing a while in their base forms, Grimmjow mocks Nnoitra, saying that if that's all he's got then the fight is as good as over. Nnoitra shoots a giant Cero at him. Grimmjow counters with Gran Ray Cero, which cuts through the Qunito's attack and burns his chest. Nnoitra asks how a lower ranking Arrancar can cancel out his attack and burn him. Grimmjow once again states that while ranks are based on spirit energy alone, his Gran Ray Cero was stronger than a normal cero. He then goes on to say that if he tried to counter with another cero, he's the one that would've been burnt. Nnoitra curses at him, and releases his Zanpakuto. Grimmjow responds with his own release.

⦁ Tesla VS Dondochakka.

While in base form, Tesla chases Dondochakka around, acting like he's really afraid of the man. Tesla calls him out, saying that he's simply trying to keep from interfering with the other fight. Giving up the facade, Dondochakka says that he's only half right. While he doesn't want Tesla to be able to Nnoitra, he also doesn't want to worry Grimmjow about what's going on, saying that with someone like Grimmjow, he won't think about something unless it's right in front of him. Tesla senses Nnoitra releasing his Zanpakuto, so he does the same. Dondochakka scrambles to keep up. He then summons Bawabawa to surprise him. Tesla bats him to the side. Dondochakka notes that it's no good, and he responds by releasing his own Zanpakuto.

⦁ Harribel and Dingo VS Tosen.

After the two continue to avoid him, Tosen thinks to himself that a hunter who focuses on two hares gets neither. So he decides that Dingo is the weak link, and proceeds to focus on him. Dingo grins and lets loose immense spiritual energy and begins shooting. Tosen narrowly dodges, noting that the attack would have cut him in half if he hadn't dodged it. He then goes on to think that Dingo was suppressing his energy, and he's a significant deal stronger now. Annoyed, Tosen shouts to them that they would dare hold back against him. At this point, Harribel realizes that Wonderwiess is dead. Dingo tells her not to let it affect her ability to fight, because if it does, she'll just wind up dead too and that wouldn't save anyone. He tells her to continue on battling as if nothing happened, and then maybe she can save someone else. She acknowledges what he says as truth, and begins to take the battle more seriously.

⦁ Wonderwiess and Matthias VS Ichimaru.

Gin struggles to keep up with both of them at the same time. He then decides to take out Wonderwiess, by killing him. His Kamishini no Yari shoots right through Wonderwiess' stomach, and impales him on a wall. Matthias charges at the Soul Reaper, who dodges to the side. With his last breath, Wonderweiss shoots a cero at Gin, which hits him in the side- as he wasn't expecting him to survive the stab. Matthias thinks about Gin's speed, and thinks that it's far too different from the speed he demonstrated before. He then realizes at this point that Ichimaru was using his Bankai, and he was lying when he said he was using his Shikai. The Arrancar tosses aside his Zanpakuto, noting that Lurk was right when she said it was too slow. Matthias continues to pressure Ichimaru, who begins to have doubts about fighting him. He wonders why he's doing this. He wonders if what he's doing is right. He knows that Matthias is on Harribel's side, which he thinks is the correct side. He wonders why he keeps fighting so hard if he agrees with Matthias' end goal. Matthias then begins to tap into the purple energy, which gives him the upper hand. Ichimaru knows that he has no place back home at the Soul Society, as he sided with Aizen. He knows he has no place in Harribel's Hueco Mundo, as he sided with Baraggan. And he knows that he has no place in Baraggan's Hueco Mundo, as he doesn't think what he does is right. He asks himself why he keeps fighting, knowing that he has no where to go after it's all said and done. Ichimaru lowers his sword and takes a spirit energy-enhanced punch to the chest. The blow breaks several of his ribs and gives him a bad concussion as he hits the ground. Matthias retrieves his sword and prepares to finish him off. Roka steps out of the shadows and begins to heal Ichimaru's wounds. Matthias begins to shout at her for healing the enemy, and Roka shouts back that he isn't the enemy, and that his motivations are just misunderstood. Matthias says that if she tries to heal someone who's on the opposite side, he'll have to kill her too. Roka tells him that she has no intention of dying, but she will heal Ichimaru at all costs.

⦁ Ulquiorra and Mosqueda VS Yammy Llargo.

Ulquiorra and Mosqueda dodge Yammy's attacks effortlessly. Both present a counter to his attacks. This angers Yammy to no end. After being countered several times, he uses his Resurreccion. He shouts that he's invincible and that they won't be able to stop him. He goes on to state that the angrier he becomes the stronger he becomes. The two continue to dodge around him, but Mosqueda is having a hard time keeping up. Ulquiorra tells him to be careful. Yammy then shoots a barrage of massive Ceros. Ulquiorra pulls the Privaron out of the way, but then Yammy begins to shoot Bala at them. Mosqueda pulls himself away from Ulquiorra, knowing that if he held onto him, he couldn't fight at his full power. As Mosqueda is falling down toward Yammy he releases his Zanpakuto and hits him with all of his power at once. Yammy grabs him and tries to crush him, so Ulquiorra cuts his arm off. While Mosqueda is falling he shoots Yammy in the eye, which urges him to transform once again. Yammy then crushes Mosqueda as soon as the transformation takes place. Ulquiorra notes that there is no way he could have survived that. Yammy laughs, asking if Ulquiorra is going to cry over his fallen opponent. Ulquiorra tells him that he doesn't particularly care about him, but now he knows that he has to release all of his power at once if he wants to defeat him. He says that he has to completely overwhelm him with power so that Yammy won't have a chance to transform again. He then goes on to say that Yammy will be too afraid to feel even a little bit of anger. Ulquiorra flies into the air and releases his Segunda Etapa all at once. With a Lanza de Relampago, he blows Yammy to pieces.

⦁ Nelliel and Pesche VS Rico Nataniel.

Rico continues to stay in the air, while the two try to bring him down. After coming to the decision to attack him simultaneously from the front, they should be able to bring him down. After attempting this, Rico blocks Nel's sword with his own and blocks Pesche's sword with his wings. He laughs at their attempt and knocks them away. Nel and Pesche then fly into the air, floating a distance from him. Rico tells them that they are now thinking. He lets the two know that they can't beat him two on one, they'll need to be three on one if they want to stand a chance.

⦁ Severiano and Monica VS Noe.

Noe and Monica come into a clash with their polearms. Severiano soars at her, trying to stab at her side. Noe catches the attack with her barehand, then jumps away before Monica can attack her. Noe tries to attack Monica, but Severiano catches the blunt part of her trident. Monica then goes in for a stab, but Noe Sonido'd out of the way. Noe then releases her resurreccion, and tries to kill Severiano. He gets burnt badly, but he releases his Zanpakuto as well- to heal himself. He notes that he doesn't like his released form, but he only uses it to heal his burns.

⦁ Loly and Menoly VS Rafael.

Rafael notes that he doesn't like women, because women are always weaker than men. Loly argues with him, but Menoly stops her. She says that they need to prove with their actions that they are as strong as him- not with their words. Loly nods in agreement. Rafael tells them that he's going to toy with them for a while, and he blitzes around them, slicing their arms or legs then disappearing before they can retaliate. He laughs like a maniac and tries to impale Menoly. Loly jumps in the way, tanking the attack to the stomach. It would have killed Menoly, but Loly took it instead. Rafael laughs and disengages. Menoly thanks her, Loly dismisses it. All three of them release their Zanpakuto, and prepare for the rest of the battle.

⦁ Shakaras and Daliza VS Donn.

After Donn gets enraged, the two struggle to land any attacks on him. Daliza asks for Shakars to buy him some time, and he releases his Zanpakuto. She nods and throws her lance at Donn, which pierces his shoulder. She jumps out of the way of his counter attack and yanks her weapon from his arm. She manages to dodge him for a while, and then hears Daliza call that he's ready. She leaps over an invisible wall, and Donn tries to blitz toward her. He gets wrapped up by Daliza's spiderwebs. He releases a lot of spirit energy and cuts through the webs. He flies into the air, and then releases his Zanpakuto. He tosses Daliza around, breaking almost all of his bones. Shakars tries to help him, but she gets swatted away. Donn breaks Daliza's neck, then focuses on Shakars.

⦁ Solomon VS Massilo.

Solomon and Massilo exchange attacks, and Massilo mentions that the fight is pretty exciting, and taunts Solomon to release his Zanpakuto- so the fight can be even more exciting. Solomon tells him to release his Zanpakuto first, and he'll reciprocate. Massilo tells him that he has no released form, as he's already at his strongest constantly. He never bothered to learn how to release it. Solomon then tells him that he will not release his Zanpakuto, then. Massilo frowns, saying that the fight can't get any more interesting, then. Solomon tells him that if he releases his Zanpakuto, then Massilo will die. Massilo tells him that he has no problem with risking his life, to which Solomon states that risking one's life is different from throwing it away. Massilo says that it makes no difference to him, as he just wants to fight. The two then exchanged attacks once again.

⦁ Apacchi, Sung-Sun, and Mila-Rose VS Paula, Renzo, and Priscila.

The Tres Bestias' formation gets broken immediately, as the Team Baraggan Arrancar surround them. Sung-Sun notes that they haven't been surrounded before, so they don't know how to fight like this. Apacchi then tells her that they each need to fight one opponent. Renzo roars like a maniac and blitzes toward them. He shoots Sung-Sun with a Bala and punches at Apacchi's head. Mila-Rose helps her avoid the attack, but Paula stabs her in the side. Priscila then kicks Apacchi in the chin, sending her flying through the air. Sung-Sun quickly releases her Zanpakuto and wraps around Renzo, trying to strangle him. He notes that she's annoying and begins to shoot her with Bala. After a few blasts she weakens her grasp enough for him to fly out. Priscila says that she would have helped him, if he didn't seem like he had it under control. He rolls his eyes. At this point in time, Apacchi and Mila Rose also release their Zanpakuto as well.

⦁ Runguganga and Lurk VS Zaffon.

To start with, Zaffon targets Runguganga with his ceroes. Lurk punishes him for this by slashing his side. Zaffon realizes that if he continues to attack the hollow, Lurk will continue to punish him with counter attacks. But he can't attack Lurk, as she keeps vanishing into the sands that Runguganga keeps manipulating to hide her presence. He tries to use his pesquisa, but she had neutralized her spiritual pressure. So Zaffon thinks that he can't attack Runuganga or Lurk, leaving him in a bad position. Still, he isn't afraid, he's just kind of irritated that he can't do anything. So he continues to dodge the hollow's attacks while waiting to counter Lurk.

(Phase two)

⦁ Starrk and Lilynette Versus Baraggan.

After Starrk explains they still have an opportunity to get stronger, Baraggan uses his new ability, creating solid objects out of his spirit energy. He says that he got the idea from Starrk himself, so he should be grateful. Starrk notes to Lilynette that if they touch that, it'll eat away at their bodies, as it's a solid Respira. His Solid Respira takes the form of an axe, and a shield. He also had energy all around his back, protecting his rear from any attacks. Lilynette mumbles that the only range he has is Ceros, and Balas, so they should assault him from a distance with their superior speed. Starrk agrees, and the two begin making Sonido clones all around him, blasting Balas and Ceros alike. Baraggan shoots spikes out of his Respira shield, which Lilynette narrowly dodges, then shoots ceros from her feet to fly away.

⦁ Grimmjow VS Nnoitra.

Now that the two Arrancar are released, they are no longer holding back. Grimmjow is able to block Nnoitra's strikes with his elbow and his shins, but anywhere else will seriously wound him. Nnoitra can tank any of Grimmjow's attacks so far. Then Grimmjow uses his little bombs, which wounds the Qunito, who shouts that he's stronger than Grimmjow.

⦁ Tesla VS Dondochakka.

Dondochakka takes the form of a Porcupine, and stabs Tesla with some needles. Tesla thinks to himself that if he continues to attack him directly, he'll wind up wounding himself. So he tries to keep his distance, but Dondochakka continues to keep him at a lose range, much to his annoyance.

⦁ Harribel and Dingo VS Tosen.

Some time after Tosen uses his Shikai, Harribel realizes that Sung-Sun has died. Dingo tells her to leave, and he takes Tosen on himself.

⦁ Matthias VS Ichimaru.

Matthias thinks about Gin's speed, and thinks that it's far too different from the speed he demonstrated before. He then realizes at this point that Ichimaru was using his Bankai, and he was lying when he said he was using his Shikai. The Arrancar tosses aside his Zanpakuto, noting that Lurk was right when she said it was too slow. Matthias continues to pressure Ichimaru, who begins to have doubts about fighting him. He wonders why he's doing this. He wonders if what he's doing is right. He knows that Matthias is on Harribel's side, which he thinks is the correct side. He wonders why he keeps fighting so hard if he agrees with Matthias' end goal. Matthias then begins to tap into the purple energy, which gives him the upper hand. Ichimaru knows that he has no place back home at the Soul Society, as he sided with Aizen. He knows he has no place in Harribel's Hueco Mundo, as he sided with Baraggan. And he knows that he has no place in Baraggan's Hueco Mundo, as he doesn't think what he does is right. He asks himself why he keeps fighting, knowing that he has no where to go after it's all said and done. Ichimaru lowers his sword and takes a spirit energy-enhanced punch to the chest. The blow breaks several of his ribs and gives him a bad concussion as he hits the ground. Matthias retrieves his sword and prepares to finish him off. Roka steps out of the shadows and begins to heal Ichimaru's wounds. Matthias begins to shout at her for healing the enemy, and Roka shouts back that he isn't the enemy, and that his motivations are just misunderstood. Matthias says that if she tries to heal someone who's on the opposite side, he'll have to kill her too. Roka tells him that she has no intention of dying, but she will heal Ichimaru at all costs.

⦁ Ulquiorra and Mosqueda VS Yammy Llargo.

He shouts that he's invincible and that they won't be able to stop him. He goes on to state that the angrier he becomes the stronger he becomes. The two continue to dodge around him, but Mosqueda is having a hard time keeping up. Ulquiorra tells him to be careful. Yammy then shoots a barrage of massive Ceros. Ulquiorra pulls the Privaron out of the way, but then Yammy begins to shoot Bala at them. Mosqueda pulls himself away from Ulquiorra, knowing that if he held onto him, he couldn't fight at his full power. As Mosqueda is falling down toward Yammy he releases his Zanpakuto and hits him with all of his power at once. Yammy grabs him and tries to crush him, so Ulquiorra cuts his arm off. While Mosqueda is falling he shoots Yammy in the eye, which urges him to transform once again. Yammy then crushes Mosqueda as soon as the transformation takes place. Ulquiorra notes that there is no way he could have survived that. Yammy laughs, asking if Ulquiorra is going to cry over his fallen opponent. Ulquiorra tells him that he doesn't particularly care about him, but now he knows that he has to release all of his power at once if he wants to defeat him. He says that he has to completely overwhelm him with power so that Yammy won't have a chance to transform again. He then goes on to say that Yammy will be too afraid to feel even a little bit of anger. Ulquiorra flies into the air and releases his Segunda Etapa all at once. With a Lanza de Relampago, he blows Yammy to pieces.

⦁ Nelliel and Pesche VS Rico Nataniel.

⦁ Severiano and Monica VS Noe.

Noe tries to attack Monica, but Severiano catches the blunt part of her trident. Monica then goes in for a stab, but Noe Sonido'd out of the way. Noe then releases her resurreccion, and tries to kill Severiano. He gets burnt badly, but he releases his Zanpakuto as well- to heal himself. He notes that he doesn't like his released form, but he only uses it to heal his burns.

⦁ Loly and Menoly VS Rafael.

He laughs like a maniac and tries to impale Menoly. Loly jumps in the way, tanking the attack to the stomach. It would have killed Menoly, but Loly took it instead. Rafael laughs and disengages. Menoly thanks her, Loly dismisses it. All three of them release their Zanpakuto, and prepare for the rest of the battle.

⦁ Shakaras VS Donn.

⦁ Solomon VS Massilo.

After fighting for a while, Solomon decides to use his Resurreccion. Not because he thinks he'll lose, but because he thinks it would be best for Massilo's pride to defeat him with his released form.

⦁ Apacchi, Sung-Sun, and Mila-Rose VS Paula, Renzo, and Priscila.

Sung-Sun quickly releases her Zanpakuto and wraps around Renzo, trying to strangle him. He notes that she's annoying and begins to shoot her with Bala. After a few blasts she weakens her grasp enough for him to fly out. Priscila says that she would have helped him, if he didn't seem like he had it under control. He rolls his eyes. At this point in time, Apacchi and Mila Rose also release their Zanpakuto as well.

⦁ Runuganga and Lurk VS Zaffon.

Zaffon starts to fly all around the area, shooting random ceros and Balas at Runuganga. The large hollow notes that he's having a hard time blocking the attacks. Zaffon begins to think that he has outwitted Lurk, and he begins to speed up. Just then, Lurk flies at him from head in front of him and then slashes him across the shoulder. He mentions that he didn't expect her to change strategies, and she says that she didn't want to, but had to, in order to protect Runuganga. Zaffon mentions that most Arrancar wouldn't care if a hollow died, and he says that Lurk isn't like an Arrancar at all. She doesn't like to fight, she uses guerrilla warfare, and she's absurdly good at manipulating her spirit energy. She doesn't respond, which Zaffon takes to mean that he's right. He releases his Zanpakuto, and flies at Runuganga at an insane speed. He shoots Ceros and Balas to block the sand, then he slices him apart. Grimly, Lurk mentions that Runuganga said earlier that he couldn't absorb very much more of Zaffon's spirit energy. Now Lurk engages Zaffon one-on-one.

(Phase three)

⦁ Starrk and Lilynette Versus Baraggan.

After Starrk explains they still have an opportunity to get stronger, Baraggan uses his new ability, creating solid objects out of his spirit energy. He says that he got the idea from Starrk himself, so he should be grateful. Starrk notes to Lilynette that if they touch that, it'll eat away at their bodies, as it's a solid Respira. His Solid Respira takes the form of an axe, and a shield. He also had energy all around his back, protecting his rear from any attacks. Lilynette mumbles that the only range he has is Ceros, and Balas, so they should assault him from a distance with their superior speed. Starrk agrees, and the two begin making Sonido clones all around him, blasting Balas and Ceros alike. Baraggan shoots spikes out of his Respira shield, which Lilynette narrowly dodges, then shoots ceros from her feet to fly away. The two release Los Lobos. They begin to take advantage once again because of their speed. Then spirit energy begins to take over their bodies, just like it did the first time. Baraggan laughs and stops attacking. Then he realizes that they aren't freaking out like they were the first time. And they take a new form. Now taking their Ressureccion Segunda Etapa, they face off against Baraggan. Lots of people surround them. Hugo shows up, and stands way closer to the two of them than most could. Both Starrk and Baraggan shout to stay out of it, but for different reasons. They get in close, and their spiritual energies battle. Baraggan's Respira begin to burn them, but it stops. And then the Segunda notes that Starrk's energy vanished, saying that this new form must take a lot out of him. Harribel tries to intervene, but Dingo stops her. Saying that he's become so powerful that they can no longer feel his spirit energy. She notes that she could barely sense Hugo's spirit energy either. Baraggan uses all of his power at once to stop him, but Starrk over powers him and kills him with straight spirit energy.

⦁ Grimmjow VS Nnoitra.

Even after Starrk releases the huge amount of energy, the two fight because Nnoitra doesn't actually care about Baraggan.

⦁ Tesla VS Dondochakka.

Tesla continues to fight, because his master continues to fight.

⦁ Dingo VS Tosen.

When Starrk releases a huge amount of spirit energy, Tosen turns to help Baraggan. As his back is turned, Dingo cuts off his head.

⦁ Matthias VS Ichimaru.

Ichimaru lowers his sword and takes a spirit energy-enhanced punch to the chest. The blow breaks several of his ribs and gives him a bad concussion as he hits the ground. Matthias retrieves his sword and prepares to finish him off. Roka steps out of the shadows and begins to heal Ichimaru's wounds. Matthias begins to shout at her for healing the enemy, and Roka shouts back that he isn't the enemy, and that his motivations are just misunderstood. Matthias says that if she tries to heal someone who's on the opposite side, he'll have to kill her too. Roka tells him that she has no intention of dying, but she will heal Ichimaru at all costs.

⦁ Ulquiorra, Nelliel, and Pesche VS Rico Nataniel.

⦁ Severiano and Monica VS Noe.

⦁ Loly and Menoly VS Rafael.

After defeating their opponent, Loly remarks that there are even stronger women on their crew. She lists off Lilynette, the Tres Bestias, and Harribel herself. Rafael screams in anger as he dies.

⦁ Shakaras VS Donn.

⦁ Harribel VS Paula, Renzo, and Priscila.

Harribel kills all three of them.

⦁ Solomon and Lurk VS Zaffon.


End file.
